


Theatre of Mirrors

by hanaxsongs



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Persona 5 Protagonist Has A Palace, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Whump, will update relationship tags when I know what the fuck I want to do with this fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:53:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 40,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24704878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanaxsongs/pseuds/hanaxsongs
Summary: Futaba stares at the words. The key words. The key words to a palace. The key words to a palace that should be impossible to form. The key words to a palace that should not have existed.The words taunted her. Glowing on her phone. She read them again, unable to keep her composure.They read:‘Name: Ren Amamiya.Distortion: Theatre.Location: The World.’
Comments: 32
Kudos: 264





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first long multi chapter fanfic that I really want to write, so I hope all of you are ready for an adventure full of pain and friendship! This was initially born from an AU I made and posted on tumblr, which spawned some short snippets of fanfics, to a full blown fic! I hope you all enjoy it - I certainly enjoy writing it!
> 
> Warning though: this fic WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR ALL OF P5R. This chapter I've tried my best to keep spoiler free, but all subsequent chapters WILL have them, so please don't read any further until you've fully beaten the game at least once (and get the new 'true' ending)!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at hanaxsongs! Shout outs go to digifangirl97 on there for proof reading before I posted this on here, and rui_the_galaxy_angel for being my constant source of inspiration and motivation for writing the fic in the first place!
> 
> Okay enough rambling LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Rain pattered upon the concrete streets of Tokyo, grey clouds obscuring the Sun, only allowing slithers of its golden rays to trickle out. This was uncommon weather during the Spring, rain being transitional after snow, watering plants that were starting to bloom anew. Underneath his umbrella Ren waited patiently for the crossroad lights to change, packed between crowds of unruly people, his umbrella acting as a personal sanctuary against the relentless shower poured from above.

“Hey.” Morgana murmured, popping out from the bag he often slung behind his arm, “Is this gonna take any longer? The rain’s starting to get heavier you know.”

Ren rolled his eyes at the otherwise impatient cat, “I can only control so much, your majesty.” he replied sarcastically in his head, but held back his tongue as the crossroad lights turned green. He briskly started walking, no doubt not wanting to get caught up by the sudden torrent of movement, the risk of getting trampled by restless crowds did not appeal that much to him.

A year after his adventures within the Metaverse, where he stole the hearts of corrupt individuals and killed a God, Ren returned to the city from his country town. Pursuing an education of the culinary arts, he bought himself a small condo room using money he squirreled away from his adventures as the leader of the Phantom Thieves, his own sanctuary located within the bustling city. He lived on his own (if you excluded Morgana), his parents indifferent when he left them back at Inaba, not caring about their delinquent son; something he had counted on when applying for the education for a less traditional, ‘successful’ job.

“Have you got an email back yet?” Morgana asks, again perching his front paws on his shoulder, Ren shook his head.

“I’m going to check now.” he replied, before retreating into a small alleyway, reaching for his phone in his pocket. He pulled it out, glancing at the lock screen photo, an image of all his Phantom Thieves smiling at the camera, before sliding it open. Quicky tapping on the screen, he flicked through his emails, letters and words reflecting on the fake lens of his glasses.

“Well?”

“I’m trying to find the email, Mona.” Ren breathed, purposely controlling his tone of annoyance towards the animal. Scanning the multiple titles with his grey eyes, it took minutes to find the email he wanted, it being buried amongst a number of promotional letters. As soon as he saw the words ‘ _APPLICATION STATUS_ ’ he tapped hopefully on it, reading it eagerly. However, he soon found his eagerness waning, disappointment instead replacing it.

“Dear Mr Amamiya,” the email started, the introduction formal, unassuming to the power it held for his future prospects.

“We regret to inform you that your application for the Matsuhisa School for Culinary Arts has been rejected, since you have not reached the target grade in order to within the program. If you think there is a mistake, please contact…..”

Ren stopped reading, turning off his phone and putting it in his pocket, too ashamed at himself to continue. He suppressed a cry, furiously wiping the tears from his eyes with the back of his wrist. He didn’t want Morgana to witness his moment of weakness, especially while in public.

“Ren? Are you okay?”

Ren turned to Morgana, the cat looking at him with worried, blue eyes. How he hated at times that Morgana was with him for most of the day, hiding comfortably in his bag while Ren walked around Tokyo, almost as a slave to him. Yet he admitted to himself a long time ago that he’d come to rely on the presence of the feline to keep him sane, preferring Morgana to his own thoughts.

Ren blinked, grey eyes still shimmering with tears, blinking rapidly in thought, before he forced a smile on his lips.

“I’m fine.” he lied.

A sharp, hot pain suddenly shot through his head, Ren wincing momentarily, it dissipating as quickly as it came, only to be replaced with a feeling of sudden nausea.

“Morgana, what’s happen-” Ren slurred, another wave of nausea echoing in his brain, him trying to keep his balance as the world around him suddenly whirled at dizzying speed. The feeling was… unfamiliar. A feeling he felt he recognised, but the origin on the tip of his tongue.

“M-”

Before Ren could utter another word, he quickly lost consciousness, black abruptly consuming his vision.

***

“-en. R...n. Ren!”

Ren struggled to open his eyes, his head heavy, his mouth dry.

“-en, get up.”

He manages to blink them open somewhat, eyelids heavy, his hearing muffled.

“Ren!”

A sudden burst of energy managed to allow his eyelids to flutter open, grey eyes hazy and unfocused. Another round of blinks managed to allow him to stir awake, him pulling himself into sitting upright on the floor. He rested his forehead in one of his hands, back curved outward, groaning as the last of the dizzy spell dissipated.

“Ren, are you okay?”

“I’m fine Morgana.” he says, his head out from his hand, looking at his feline friend. It only takes him another minute to realise that Morgana’s standing on his hind legs.

“Morgana, why are you…” he trails off, taking a second this time to connect the dots. Morgana was standing perfectly on his hind legs. He stood on his hind legs only in the Metaverse. If he was on his hind legs here…. Then that means…..

They were both in the Metaverse.

The Metaverse had returned.

But…. how?

***

The myth that cats have nine lives did not escape the fleeting thoughts of Morgana as he struggled to get himself off the concrete ground beneath him. He was nestled comfortably in Ren’s bag when his friend suddenly collapsed, the momentum of his falling body causing Morgana to be flung out of his vehicle. A blur of events later the cat found himself on the ground.

“Ow……” Morgana groaned, feeling dull, throbbing pain on his head and body. It was a miracle that he was still alive, no doubt one of his nine lives evaporated as he impacted the ground. Still shaking, he spent another while on the concrete, his eyesight slowly coming back, strength gathering to his limbs. It took another breath for him to push himself into standing.

He took the time to gather his thoughts. He fell. Down. Hard. Because Ren… Ren…. Ren!

“Ren?” was Morgana’s first mutter since regaining his footing, memories flooding back. They were in an alleyway minutes ago, Ren reading one of his emails, his expression turning from hopefulness to one of hopelessness. Morgana asked what was wrong. Ren told him he was okay. Then. Then....

Morgana huffed, crossing his arms. The moment of realisation hit right after.

His eyes widened in shock, uncurling his arms and looking at his front paws. He was standing. On his hind legs. He reached to feel his neck, the familiar handkerchief wrapped around it in place of his bright yellow collar.

"The Metaverse?" he questioned out loud, and looking up he got his answer. The sky was coloured light red, a detail that often accompanied them when entering the bizarre dimension.

"But why… no… that's not important right now. I need to find Ren and then get out of here." he thought to himself, shaking his head before starting to look around his surroundings. Spotting Ren sprawled on the floor a couple of feet away, Morgana hopped towards the boy.

"Ren." The cat muttered, approaching his friend, his ears perking up in high alert. They were in a compromising spot, too open and vulnerable for shadows to attack them in this unknown realm. Ren was lying down on his stomach, his eyes closed, chest rising slowly up and down. Good, he was breathing. Morgana continued to scan their surroundings vigilantly.

"Ren," Morgana continued to pester the unconscious body of the boy, hoping to stir him awake, "Ren. Ren!"

Ren began to stir beneath his paws, Morgana running to see his face, the boy struggling to open his eyes.

"Ren, get up!"

Ren’s eyes fluttered, struggling to keep open, his consciousness threatening to ebb away.

“Ren!”

Ren’s eyes shot open, grey and unfocused, darting around frantically. Morgana felt relief as Ren fluttered his eyes a couple of times. A groan escaped out of his throat, Morgana backing away from him, allowing his friend the space to regain his bearings.

“Ren, are you okay?” he asks, Ren nodding in his hand in response.

“I’m fine Morgana.” Ren says, taking his head out from his hand to look at his feline friend. A moment later, Morgana held his breath as Ren’s eyes widened in shock. He had also realised that they were again in the Metaverse.

“How?” Ren asked, again blinking rapidly, confusion solidifying on his face, his heart beginning to beat rapidly from a sudden wave of anxious fear. Taking a moment, he looked around, his expression more worried as the seconds ticked by “Morgana, what’s-”

“I’m just as confused as you are.” the cat muttered, looking at Ren, a significant detail popping into his head, “You’re not in your thief outfit as well. Something is definitely going on.”

“You’re…. You’re right.” Ren said shakily, just then reaching for the mask on his face that wasn’t there, “Morgana.” he breathes to his friend, masking his growing anxiety with a commanding tone, “We need to get… we need to get out here.”

“No disagreements here.” Morgana nodded, “The fact that the Metaverse has returned, and you not gaining your thief outfit means that something’s definitely going on here. Something powerful.” he mused, “Something….. Unprecedented.”

Ren nodded, agreeing with his partner in crime. He reached for his phone in his pocket.

But it was empty.

“Hey.” Morgana mutters, seeing Ren anxiously patting his trousers, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m trying to find my phone.”

“Your phone?” Morgana asks, “You mean the one with the Metanav right?”

“Yeah.” Ren replies as he continues to grasp for his phone. Did they even get here via the Metanav? He wasn’t so sure, the gap in time between him in reality and him in the Metaverse too abstract for him to even recollect.

“I remember you looking at it before we came here, are you-”

“Mona.” Ren sharply snapped, breath ragged, eyes wide and scared, pale hands shaking. Morgana recoiled back in shock. Ren was normally calm and collected, his cool head a feature that was crucial for him to function as the treasured leader of the phantom thieves. Under normal circumstances, Morgana reasons, this kind of behaviour would be unlike him.

However, the circumstances they both found themselves in were anything but normal.

“Hey, Ren. Just calm down okay?” Morgana said, trying his best to comfort his friend as his own feelings of anxiety began to swell, “We’ll get out of this. We always do.”

Ren stopped his frantic searching to look at Morgana.

“Yeah.” he smiled. Though Morgana’s words did little to help quell the anxious feeling swirling his stomach, he did appreciate what his friend was attempting to do, “But, if I can’t find my phone, what do you suggest we do, Mona?”

Morgana hummed, crossing his arms in contemplation. His gaze drifted towards the horizon amongst the barren wasteland. He could see lights flickering invitingly. He peaked his ears, hearing the sounds of chatter, laughter and music coming from the same spot.

“I think since we’re here, we do a little bit of reconnaissance, see what we’re up against.” he suggested to Ren, the boy following his gaze towards the commotion.

***

The source of the lights and laughter belonged to a theatre, it’s exterior grand and welcoming, reds and golds generously decorating the walls and staircase leading up to it, ornate statues gesturing towards the doors, ushering all who approached it inside. The building was tall. Long, glittering columns extended seemingly endlessly towards the heavens, figures that were carved within the marble supporting each distinct floor on their shoulders surrounded the width of the ornate, glass stained windows depicting unknown figures glowed with yellow light as both Morgana and Ren approached it.

“Whoa…” Morgana said, amazed at how beautiful, “What is this place? It looks amazing, right Ren?”

“It is.” Ren nodded in agreement, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about this structure. It looked… familiar. It felt familiar, as if he had once seen this particular palace in a dream. A feeling of dread settled in his stomach. He curled his lips into an unsure frown, “But….”

“But what?” Morgana asks, turning his head around to look at Ren, seeing the concerned expression behind the thick, framed glasses the boy wore.

“It’s…. Nothing.” Ren shook his head before giving a toothy grin at Morgana, yet it did not reach his eyes, “I’m just worried about not having my infiltration outfit, that’s all. But the fact that the Palace owner - whoever it is - doesn’t see us as a threat is good. Kind of like Futaba in a way.”

“Yeah, until she decided not to.” Morgana huffed, crossing his arms, “Then she tried to kill us.”

“She was unconsciously pushing us away.” Ren shrugged, starting to climb the steps to the theatre, “I don’t blame her.”

“True.” Morgana hummed in agreement, following Ren up the staircase, “You think the Palace owner is someone like her?”

“You mean, emotionally troubled and seeking help?” Ren asks, turning from Morgana towards the front of him, “I wouldn’t be surprised. My thief attire not appearing does support that. Maybe the owner really needs help. Maybe they want it.”

“You may be right, but it still doesn’t explain-"

Morgana’s out loud thoughts were cut short as the both of them entered the theatre, the sight of the interior so grand it took both their breaths away.

The amount of regalness of the interior of the theatre matched in grandness of its exterior. A sea of red carpet stretched wide on the floor, white marble walls were accented with glittering gold archways and columns. Velvet curtains hung next to the stained glass windows, golden lights glew upon golden chandeliers, the decorations luxurious without being gaudy. Ren however was drawn to the fountain nested between the staircase that curved upwards into the depths of the theatre, guests casually gliding up and down twin staircases, ignoring the boy and cat completely.

“Wow, what a place. The owner sure has taste when it comes to luxurious decor.” Morgana said, marvelling the foyer of the theatre, humanoid cognitions avoiding them as they talked amongst themselves.

“Yeah..” Ren trailed off, scanning the interior design with his eyes before him. Gery irises settled between the fountain nestled between the two staircases, and before he knew it he was walking towards the fountain, almost entranced by it. If he had paid closer attention to his surroundings like his feline friend at that moment, he would have quickly realised his fatal move.

To Ren, the fountain seemed to call to him. Faces were carved within the smooth, black obsidian, masks of all expressions decorated the bottom, the foreheads carved with numbers seemingly at random, accented with gold. Within the middle of the fountain sat a figure sitting on a tipped jar in which water flowed from. They were surrounded by masks suspended seemingly by magic, yet these weren’t the same masks that decorated the bottom of the fountain, each of them an individual, unique shape, made out of what looked to be like crystal. Light green, yellow, pink, blue, white, dark green, purple, black, and pale gold. His eyes trailed from the glittery masks towards the figure. They were sitting cross legged, details of their long, flowing coat lovingly carved in stone, winklepickers curved, waistcoat accented with gold. Ren noted to himself that the figure’s costume looked just like…

The golden accented mask gave it all away.

Ren’s eyes widened in stunned alarm, stumbling back reflexively in complete disbelief. The masked man’s familiar smirk, the way his messy hair curled, his eyes, golden gems glittering in the light. No. No no no! It was impossible! Impossible! Ren turned to run, but as he turned, pairs of arms wrapped around each of his, grabbing tightly, Ren struggling within their hold, kicking and thrashing, twisting his body, yet their grip only tightened.

“Morgana!” he screamed in desperation, craning his head back straining to hear his friend’s response, yet he could only hear the faint squeaks of frantic meowing as a blur of black blocked the view of the bipedal feline.

“Get off of me!” Ren screamed, still twisting his body, trying to get away from the grip of the strong armed shadows, kicking and flailing as the shadows dragged him towards the old fashioned elevators that stood vigilantly next to the stairs. The cognitive people did nothing but watch, ‘ooing’ and ‘aahing’ as he was dragged into the claustrophobic box, Ren sickly noting that all of them were wearing inverted mockeries of his domino mask. The doors closed, and Ren gritted his teeth to repress a sob as the demented husks of the masses applauded joyfully at his the spectacle that was his misery, clearly entertained by it.

The elevator shook with life before moving, Ren looking above to find them going up, the indicating lights ascending up a list of randomly placed numbers.

“Where are you taking me?” He asks one of the shadows restraining him, turning to find the same mockery of his mask perched upon its featureless face as they ascended, “Please, answer me!”

“You’re expected by our lead actor,” the other answered, Ren whipping to look at the other shadow holding onto his other arm, “He wants you to meet him in the Fool’s Theatre, says he wants his special guest escorted to his dressing room. You know how those big shots are, they get their fifthteen minutes of fame and suddenly they act like they own the place.”

Ren wanted to laugh at the shadow’s dry joke, but he couldn’t.

***

The allure of the grand decorations intoxicated Morgana as he wandered within the foyer with Ren. While the cat often had his guard up (something an ‘expert thief’ was required to do) the atmosphere in this particular palace seemed to lull him into a false sense of security. It felt… comfortable. Like the makeshift bedroom in the attic of Leblanc, or the cozy room at Ren’s Tokyo apartment. Morgana couldn’t quite put his paw on it, but it felt like he was at home again, that it was familiar.

He did not hear Ren leave his side, more occupied with the humanoid cognitions dotted around the foyer, all of them talking amongst themselves in hushed but excited tones, his ears pricking up at a conversation nearby.

“Is that him?” a woman asked her friend, looking over her shoulder.

“It probably is!” her friend giggled in amazement, “Gosh, I’m getting all flustered, do you think if I asked for his autograph he’d give it to me?”

“Oh my god, do you think he’d take a picture with us if we asked him nicely?”

Morgana turned to look at the two women, approaching them with caution.

“You should totally work your ‘womanly’ charms on him.”

“Do you think they’d even work on him? I think you’re just getting me to embarrass myself.”

“Of course! Then again, he’s so charming you’d probably fall flat on your face!”

Morgana looked around the theatre. There wasn’t any notable person that he could distinguish, most of the patrons looked like ordinary humans. Then again, Morgana reasons, this wasn’t a normal realm of existence.

“Who are they-”

“Oh my GOSH.” one of the girls squealed, Morgana turning his head to find the two women looking at him with wide, excited eyes. His own widened in terror. The two women were wearing masks, masks that look like Joker’s, as they continue to fawn over the feline thief, “It’s Mona-chan!”

“Mona-chan, may I get your autograph?!” her friend squealed as they approached Morgana, the both of them looking over him with disturbing glee, “Oh… you’re so cute, I could just hug you tightly like a plush!”

“Well, I appreciate the attention,” Morgana stammers, backing away from the two cognitions out of fear and disbelief, “But I’m currently in a ‘no-touch’ fur softening program, and-”

He turns, twisting his slender body, and runs from them.

"Mona-chan, come back!!" the two conditions called out to the cat, running after him, clearly fanatical towards the cat "We just want an autograph and a picture!"

"I'm sorry, my heart belongs only to Lady Ann!" he shouted back, weaving expertly between the legs of the cognitive guests, trying to find Ren amongst the sudden appearance of a large crowd. More whispers about what he presumed to be the Palace's owner muttered amongst the cognitions, yet he was too occupied to pay attention to their words. Peeking over his shoulder was the distraction that caused him to run into…

He stumbled back in a daze, but before he could react he was picked up by the shadow he impacted.

"There you are, you pesky cat." the shadow hisses as it picked Morgana up by the scruff of his neck. Morgana instinctively started to flail around, struggling against the sudden grip that he felt behind his throat, “You’re more trouble than you’re worth to find.”

“Let go of me!” Morgana shouted, continue to fight against the grip of the shadow, “If you don’t, I’ll-”

He heard Ren call his name in distress, the boy’s cries quickly being muffled by the crowd's cheer. With a new bolster of motivation of wanting to save Ren from the vulnerable young adult, Morgana continued to violently flail in the shadow’s grip, and has even resorted to clawing at the entity, trying desperately to force himself free from its grip.

“Ugh, stupid cat!” The shadow spat with malice as he continued to grip roughly at Morgana, clearly taking him somewhere away from where Morgana wanted to go, “Why do I always get all the shitty jobs.” it muttered to itself, another shadow approaching Morgana and his captor.

“Hey, what’s the hold up?” the newcomer asked in an exasperated tone, “Boss says he needs help with setting up the place for his guest. We got no time to waste in one stupid cat.”

“Yeah, but this pest won’t go willingly.” the shadow replied, still holding Morgana, “It’s fightin’ with all its might, can you give me a hand?”

“Hey, I am not a pest!” Morgana shouted defiantly, offended that the shadows would refer to him as such, flailing even harder against his captor’s grip, “Get your hands off of me! I’m warning you guys, I can slice you in half before you can even land a finger on me!”

“Oh, he’s so cute.” the other shadow chortled as he watched the struggling cat, “It’s almost too bad that we have to throw him out, I would even consider myself a fan of him.”

“Yeah, but the boss said-”

“I know what the boss said.” the other shadow snapped, and Morgana noticed goop spilling out of the shadow’s eyes. It stepped back, contorting sickly, limb flying and bending inhumanely, its body stuttering as more ooze continued to drip from it. A pause of movement lapsed before it dissolved to the ground, before shedding its disguise, revealing it to be none other than a Dionysus. Morgana eyed the shadow in fear.

“Hey, hold him still for a moment will you?” The Dionysus said, its fingers starting to crackle with electricity. Morgana’s eyes widened in alarm.

“C-C’mon you guys.” Morgana stammered, the moxie he showed instantaneously evaporating at the sight of the electricity dancing between the green shadow’s fingertips, “I’m s-sure you’ve got the wrong cat! Look, why don’t you let me go and I can talk it out with your boss? You wouldn’t hurt a little kitty cat like me would you?”

The two shadows looked at each other, amongst contemplatively, though their disingenuous smirks gave their true intentions away.

“Ziodyne!”

The last thing Morgana heard before unconsciousness reaped his senses was the round of applause the cognitions gave to an unknown spectacle, Ren’s muffled yelps for help still echoing in his mind.

***

The sound of cars whirring past and the idle chatter of people was what stirred Morgana awake, wet concrete from a day’s rain cooled his belly, shadows cast by the buildings above sheltered him from the rays of the hazy sun. He smacked his lips as he felt himself slowly stirring from his slumber, ears folded downwards towards the sides of his head, his legs trembling somewhat as he got up from the ground.

“Ren?” he asked, turning behind him, scanning the dark alleyway he suddenly appeared in, mind still heavy from whatever happened to him moments ago. His eyes drooped as he continued to lazily gaze into the shadows.

“Ren?” he asked again, words slurred. Where was the boy? Where was-

Oh. He suddenly remembered.

His ears shot up, his senses on high alert, memories that were lost clicked back into place. He and Ren were investigating that Palace, Ren was captured and dragged further in, him getting thrown out with no way of getting back. The cat started to panic, adrenaline running through his small body, heart beating faster and faster, him feeling like he’s drowning on dry land. Ren was in danger, he was in danger and Morgana could do nothing to help his friend! He felt useless as he paced around the empty alleyway, tracing invisible circles with his tracks as he tried to come up with a plan.

“Come on, Morgana.” he hissed at himself, his mind running full gear, yet the heavy fog of anxiety did nothing to help him come up with a plan. How to get into the Metaverse without a phone? Without a Nav? He was lost. Alone. vulnerable…

He gazed up at the sky. He felt so small. Like when he was alone after defeating the False God, disappearing in front of his friends, only to reappear alone in Shibuya.

He looked at the passing pedestrians, until he was struck with inspiration. He found his way back to Leblanc on his own before, right? Then there was the possibility of him finding the route back to the rundown cafe yet again. He knew he had at least an ally there, a person who he could count on at least helping him rescue Ren, and so he set off, careful not to get trampled on amongst the stampede of legs as he navigated his way around the metropolis that was Tokyo.

***

The pestering rain had stopped within the hour in the afternoon, the air hot and humid as puddles settled in the crevices of concrete, reflecting the yellows and orange sky brought by the sinking sun. The sweet, soothing sound of bird singing as they emerged from man made shelters did nothing to pierce the roar that was the constant machine of the city. Despite this, Yongen - Jaya could be considered a haven away from most of the megacity, a sanctuary formed by the rapid rise of urban demands, tucked away from tourists and troublemakers alike.

A girl walked out from the train station burrowed amongst the tightly squeezed buildings, head down as she was gazing at her phone behind dark framed glasses, oversized headphones hugging her neck as an accessory. Her natural hair was an oddity amongst the residents that lived in the small neighbourhood, but Futaba had lived there almost her whole life for anyone to give a second glance towards her.

She typed away on the screen, a piece of sucking candy resting between the roof of her mouth and tongue, effortly navigating around people and potholes, the narrow streets memorized from traversing them so much she knew each small detail like it was the back of her hand.

 **Futaba** : yooooooooo kana guess what!!!  
**Futaba** : sojiro gave me some cash to go buy school stuff!!!!! on my own!!!  
**Kana** : that’s great omg! I didn’t do anything as fun today (；￣Д￣)  
**Futaba** : oh f  
**Kana** : work is a paaain sometimes, but i’ve almost got enough money to buy some new uniforms  
**Futaba** : oooooooo!!!!  
**Kana** : ikr!!!! anyways youre still in shujin right?  
**Futaba** : yeah, it’s too easy (－_－) zzZ  
**Kana** : oof  
**Futaba** : like I know it’s not prestigious but like….. booooooring  
**Kana** : didn’t you like ask to be enrolled there????  
**Futaba** : yeah lol  
**Futaba** : i wanted to go there bc a really good friend went there and like

"Futaba!"

The girl looks up from her phone at the sound of her name.

"Futaba..."

The voice sounded familiar…. wasn't that…

"Down here!"

She looked down, a familiar black and white cat looking up at her with blue eyes.

"Mona?!" she exclaimed, crouching down to meet Morgana at his level, "What are you doing here? Where's Ren?" her eyebrows knitted. It was an enigma to see the cat separated from his beloved owner, and while Morgana was known to wander the streets of Tokyo on his own, he almost never did so without Ren a stone’s throw away.

"That's exactly why I came here." he replied, mowing in great urgency, "Ren's in trouble, and we need everyone's help if we're gonna rescue him. And I need a place to stay." He added, the last sentence spoken with a sheepish tone.

Futaba's eyes widened at the news that her brother figure was in trouble.

“Ren is in…? Ren is in…!?”

She suddenly crouched down.

“Ren is... is…”

Her breaths became fast and ragged and strained.

“..is…”

Her heart drummed and thumped in her ears, consuming her hearing entirely.

“Ren…”

She felt dizzy. Her eyes unfocused.

“Futaba?” Morgana asks, “Are you-”

She suddenly scoops the feline up, “What happened Mona?!” she shouted as she gently but firmly shook Morgana, “Did, did Shido’s men get him? Did someone else!? Please, tell me!”

“Futaba, stooooop!” Morgan shrieked, yet to all other bystanders, he was meowing furiously, “I think I’m gonna…”

“Oh, sorry.” she stops, gently putting the cat down, “But still, what’s going on?!”

Her voice started to crack. Morgana looked around their surroundings.

“Let’s go somewhere private.” Morgan said, as he turned to lead the girl towards Leblanc, “Leblanc is still open, right?”

“Yeah, but you’re not allowed there Mona.” Futaba points out, suddenly grabbing the cat, Morgana yelping in surprise, “Remember? Sojiro doesn’t want pets around food. You were only allowed in because you were always in Ren’s bag.”

“Not always.” Morgana huffs.

“Yeah right.” Futaba scoffs, though her anxiety did not quite dissipate from her voice, “Anyway, since we need a place to talk privately, I have somewhere in mind.”

“Where?”

“My room, you dumb.”

***

The only light in the room clicked on, Futaba wandering the cramp space with Morgana in her arms, her shopping bag full of stationary supplies hanging off her arm. She pushed the door to her room with her right foot, before settingling the contents she held onto her bed that sat nearby, Morgana hopping off and making himself comfortable amongst her untidy sheets as she dumped the bag she held before diving into her expensive looking office chair.

“So…” Futaba begins, eyeing the cat behind the frames of her glasses, brown eyes somewhat obscured by the lens from the glare of the lights above, “About….. About Ren.”

Morgana could tell that her facade was starting to crumble, her anxiety too overwhelming for her to swallow, hugging her legs, him thinking she was trying to comfort herself. He settled himself on the bed, before starting his explanation.

“Well...” he began, yet he was unsure where to start, looking down at his white paws, “I haven’t really processed everything myself…”

“Mona, please! I need to know!”

Morgana looked at Futaba, seeing that she was starting to cry.

“Okay… so… we were in Tokyo at around lunchtime. Ren was checking his emails for his letter of acceptance,”

“The one for that culinary school, right?” Futaba asks, Morgana nodding.

“Yeah. I asked him what it said as I couldn’t see the screen when he checked, but before he could respond he suddenly fainted.”

“He… suddenly fainted?” she asks, surprised, “Was he sick? Did he catch a cold earlier?”

“Not that I recall.” Morgana hummed doubtfully, “He was fine this morning, jittery even. Him fainting came out totally from nowhere. And so… when he fell, so did I.”

“Ouch, that must have hurt.” Futaba winced, yet she silently motioned Morgana to continue.

“Well, I woke up.”

“Yeah… but.”

“But what?”

Morgana looked down for a moment, hesitant to speak. Futaba gritted her teeth, anxiety again flaring up, squeezing her throat as her grip on her anxiety rapidly loosened between her fingers, “Mona. Mona I need to know.” her voice wavered, “Where did you wake up?”

“I... I woke up in the Metaverse.”

Pause. Neither of them made a sound. Morgana’s eyes gazed down. Futaba was too stunned to speak, too alarmed about the news of the re-emergence of that other world.

“You… you woke up in the Metaverse?!” Futaba half exclaimed, repeating Morgana to process the information for herself, yet she felt repeating the cat’s words with her voice only incurred more disbelief as she continued to inquire him, “The Metaverse.... It’s back?! How?!”

“That’s what I thought as well.” Morgana continued before Futaba’s thoughts could snowball into a panic attack, “But at the time, I was more concerned about Ren. He was dragged in there as well, and had no idea how we even got there.”

“Did he have his phone with him?” the girl asks, inching closer to the animal companion, “He must have accidentally tapped on the nav as it appeared.”

“That’s one of the things that bothers me about this situation.” Morgana admits, looking up at Futaba, “But, we woke up, his phone just… disappeared.”

“It… disappeared!?”

“Yeah. He swore he had with him before. He must have had, but when we woke up it was gone.”

“That’s… that’s…”

Morgana continued, “That wasn’t it. While Ren was looking for his phone I spotted-”

“A Palace.” Futaba finishes, Morgana nodding.

“Yeah, a Palace. You should have seen the surrounding area though.” he says, “While the rest of the surrounding buildings would remain intact, this palace had absolutely nothing surrounding it. Nothing but barren land, like the desert surrounding your palace.”

“A distortion that severe?” she mumbles, sitting back in her chair, “Whoever’s palace this is, definitely has a warped view on the World.”

“I agree.” Morgana nods, “So either the Palace Ruler only cares about nothing but themselves, or is a total shut in to have the surroundings distort that hard.”

“Like Shido… or me.”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm…” Futaba thinks, though her anxiety still caused the rapid thumping of her heart, “So the Palace Ruler sounds really powerful to be able to drag you into the Metaverse, but distorted enough to have the surroundings distort that much. What was the Palace anyway?”

“That’s another aspect of this that bothers me.” Morgana says, an ear of his twitching as he continued, “It was something really unexpected: it was a theatre.”

“Why would someone, who has such a severe distortion, have a theatre as a palace?” Futaba points out quizzically, “That’s really, really weird!”

“There’s more.” Morgana informs her, “When we went in there were cognitions of people. They were wearing masks. Joker’s mask.”

An alarm rang in Futaba’s head.

“J-Joker’s mask?! Are we dealing with a fan of some kind?!”

"Seems like it." Morgana agrees, flicking his two as he contemplates the possibility "It's the only explanation that makes sense. But that has to mean that the owner knows Ren is a Phantom Thief. But..."

He sighs in frustration, Futaba feeling her own sense of perplexion at the situation they were in, "It just doesn't make any sense!"

Futaba's gaze trails down towards the floor, silence falling between the two occupants.

An idea struck her mind, Futaba quickly grabbing her phone, typing away.

"What are you doing?" Morgana asks, perking somewhat in surprise.

Futaba: hey guys we got a problem  
Futaba: like a really super big boss level problem

"Messaging the others." she answers back flatly, "If the Metaverse has come back and Ren's in trouble, we gotta get the others into this."

Her phone chimes with a new message:

 **Ryuji** : yo what is it futaba  
**Ryuji** : did you forget to pre order a thing again

Futaba scoffs at Ryuji's message. Morgana jumps off her bed and onto her lap, the girl yelling at surprise by the sudden feeling of fur brush on her thighs.

 **Yusuke** : I'm positive that Futaba has already pre ordered all the things she wants Ryuji, even if it seems pointless to you.  
**Ryuji** : i dunno man, i think it's kinda dumb to buy something really expensive just for some plastic….  
**Yusuke** : She just sees value in things you don't, Ryuji.  
**Ryuji** : yeah says the guy who bought TWO LOBSTERS that one time  
**Yusuke** : That was a year and a half ago. When are you going to let go of that purchase?  
**Ryuji** : dude I'm just saying that you buy weird shit as well lol  
**Ann** : guys pls behave! futaba, I'm sorry you have to share a chat with these isiots omg  
**Haru** : What's the matter, Futaba-chan? Are you okay?  
**Ann** : *idiots  
**Yusuke** : What about that one occasion with that bracelet, Ryuji?  
**Ryuji** : i said it was an accident!

Futaba growled in annoyance as her phone continued to chime with messages.

 **Yusuke** : 1,000 yen down the drain just because you lost it the next day.  
**Makoto** : Ryuji and Yusuke, are you seriously arguing about this now?  
**Yusuke** : At least my lobsters were key to developing my art.  
**Ryuji** : wtf yusuke you lost them the next day  
**Ryuji** : how did you lose a buncha lobsters???  
**Ryuji** : IN A DORM  
**Yusuke** : I did not! They simply were thrown out by the staff…  
**Makoto** : It was silly to buy live lobsters without a proper container to house them…  
**Haru** : I remember everyone telling me about Yusuke’s lobsters when I first joined.  
**Ann** : guys didn’t futaba want to talk about something???

The ginger haired girl gritted her teeth in place of amusement. She loved her friends, but the last thing she needed was for them to mess around.

 **Haru** : I still can’t believe he did so, but at the same time it is a very Yusuke thing.  
**Ryuji** : god ikr makoto??

Didn’t they know that Ren was in trouble?

 **Ann** : pfft that day was wild, i think we should go to the beach sometime again  
**Ryuji** : yeah so as long as uni doesn’t fuck me up again  
**Yusuke** : If you studied, university should be easy.  
**Ryuji** : I DO  
**Yusuke** : At least university is somewhat easier compared to the entrance exams…  
**Haru** : I would love to go to the beach with you guys!  
**Makoto** : I agree with Haru. I know I have a lot on my plate but I’ll be sure to plan ahead for all of you!

Futaba shakes with frustration. The phone in her hands shakes, she starts to tear up.

 **Haru** : I really would have liked to, I’m still so jealous you got to go with Futaba!  
**Makoto** : We should ask Ren if he wants to go as well.  
**Ryuji** : oh yeah speaking of futaba, what’s ur prob girl  
**Ann** : og yeah futaba has a problem right?

She can’t take it anymore.

 **Futaba** : REN IS IN TROUBLE  
**Makoto** : I completely forgot, sorry Futaba, what were you about to say?

Futaba sobs.Her tears falling down her face. Her phone fell silent.

What seemed like an eternity, it rang back to life again.

 **Ryuji** : WHAT THE SHIT  
**Ann** : WHAT  
**Haru** : What????  
**Makoto** : WHAT???  
**Yusuke** : What happened?  
**Futaba** : mona came to find me  
**Futaba** : he said that the metaverse is back  
**Makoto** : Morgana is with you?  
**Ryuji** : but i thought we destroyed that shit!  
**Ann** : I thought we destroyed it!?  
**Futaba** : and there was a palace  
**Haru** : The Metaverse is back?!  
**Yusuke** : How is the Metaverse back?  
**Futaba** : and ren got caught  
**Ryuji** : OH FUCK  
**Ryuji** : BUT HOW?!  
**Ann** : how did he get caught!?

Futaba wipes the tears off from her face with the sleeve of her jacket. Morgana, who was reading the chat logs alongside the girl, snuggled against her chest as an attempt to comfort her.

 **Makoto** : That’s highly unusual of him.  
**Yusuke** : Ren is a dramatic person, but even he wouldn’t be so careless as to get himself caught during a palace exploration.

“You should tell them.” Morgana suggests. He would have done it himself, lamenting the fact that he did not have hands or fingers. Futaba nodded, sniffling as her fingers still shook.

 **Ryuji** : how did he get caught?  
**Ann** : why didn’t he tell us?  
**Futaba** : mona said he didn’t have his powers.  
**Futaba** : his outfit was gone.  
**Futaba** : and he lost his phone.

Another pause of silence.

 **Ryuji** : what the shit…..  
**Ann** : what the….  
**Ryuji** : WHAT THE SHIT  
**Haru** : …  
**Makoto** : But… why?  
**Futaba** : mona thinks that it’s a phantom thief fan or something  
**Futaba** : but even he’s not sure  
**Haru** : What was the palace?  
**Ryuji** : FAN MY ASS  
**Makoto** : But that doesn’t make any sense!  
**Futaba** : it was a theatre  
**Makoto** : For Ren to not be considered a threat and to get kidnapped  
**Ann** : a theatre, like where plays are performed?  
**Makoto** : The ruler must know that Ren is a Phantom Thief!  
**Futaba** : i guess  
**Haru** : Could it be one of Ren’s other friends that was aware about his identity?  
**Ryuji** : dude if it turned out to be mishima i’ll be so fucking angry  
**Ann** : But didn’t we change his heart ages ago?  
**Makoto** : I don’t think it’s Mishima.  
**Haru** : Yeah, I agree with Makoto.  
**Makoto** : Although I wouldn’t rule it out, it’s highly unlikely to be him at least.  
**Yusuke** : Futaba, did Morgana catch a glimpse at the owner’s shadow?

Futaba looked at the cat, who shook his head.

 **Futaba** : no  
**Haru** : How unfortunate.  
**Ann** : uh guys.  
**Ryuji** : what is it ann  
**Yusuke** : Yes, Ann?  
**Makoto** : Where’s Yoshizawa by the way?  
**Ann** : i got a weird notif on my phone  
**Haru** : She’s most likely at practise, she should be on soon.

Futaba’s eyebrows knit together. A strange notification?

 **Futaba** : from what app?  
**Ann** : i dunno but I don’t recognise it  
**Futaba** : can you tap it?  
**Ryuji** : probs an app you forgot you downloaded  
**Yusuke** : I got the same notification.  
**Ryuji** : wait what?!  
**Makoto** : I just did as well.  
**Haru** : Me too. I don’t remember downloading anything.  
**Ryuji** : shit me too, this is effing weird  
**Ryuji** : i’m gonna check it out

Her phone chimed, an alert sent to her phone as a banner dropped down on her screen. Sliding to properly assess the notification, she read it.

“ _THIS IS YOUR INVITATION TO THE PREMIER TO WITNESS THE SHOW THAT WILL CHANGE THE WORLD. BOOK NOW TO…_ ” the notification read. Under normal circumstances, Futaba would dismiss it, already tired with the constant advertisements that seem to be able to continually slither their way onto their phone. However she didn’t. What caught her eye was not the message itself, but the small icon next to it alongside the lack of an app name.

The icon was red, black and white. It looked like… Joker’s mask.

She tapped on it, eager yet scared to see what it entailed. Her phone stopped for a second. Futaba waited impatiently, for she would have thought the phone had frozen on her had digital numbers of the internal clock had not ticked by past one minute after six.

Before she could utter a curse, the screen suddenly faded into black, transitioning to a screen she thought she’d never see again.

“The Nav?” she says curiously, Morgana sitting up, the reappearance of the navigation app too peaked his interest.

“Is there a bookmark?” Morgana asks, caning his head to meet her eyes, “Check to see if there is one.”

Futaba nods, once again scanning the options of the demented Navigation App before tapping on ‘Bookmarks’. She sees there is one entry. She taps on it.

 **Ryuji** : what the FUCK  
**Ryuji** : FUCK

Her eyes widened. Her mouth hung agape.

 **Makoto** : What’s wrong, Ryuji?  
**Ryuji** : CHECK THE NOTIF  
**Ryuji** : NOW

She covers her mouth as she choked a sob. Morgana rereads the entry over and over in utter disbelief.

 **Ann** : OH MY GOD  
**Yusuke** : Is this some kind of sick prank?!  
Ann: OH MY GOF

“T-that’s impossible.” Morgana stammers, the colour of Futaba’s face now flushed out, her shaking almost violently, tears again flowing along the cusp of her eyes.

 **Makoto** : I… I don’t even know what to say…  
**Haru** : Mona-chan said it was impossible! It should be, right?  
**Ann** : GUYS WHAT THE FUCK  
**Ryuji** : I KNOW RIGHT LIKE FOR REAL?!?!?!

“It should be!” the feline exclaims, “It should!”

 **Makoto** : I don’t know how to feel.  
**Yusuke** : This is absolutely surreal. This must be a dream.  
**Ann** : AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
**Yusuke** : I even pinched myself....  
**Ryuji** : AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Futaba stares at the words. The key words. The key words to a palace. The key words to a palace that should be impossible to form. The key words to a palace that should not have existed.

The words taunted her. Glowing on her phone. She read them again, unable to keep her composure.

They read:

‘ _ **Name** : Ren Amamiya._

_**Distortion** : Theatre._

_**Location** : The World._’

***

Darkness occupied his vision, Ren feeling the blindfold wrapped tightly around his eyes. It was before he entered the theater on the top floor did the shadows decide to blindfold him, a cruel joke he decided, still feeling the bruises on his arms from the attempt to free himself as they robbed him of his sight. His arms were tied to something hard. Arm rests, he assumed, rope digging into his wrists. He was at least thankful that whatever he was bound to was comfortable, his body sinking into plush material.

He waited. Even took a nap, but when he awoke barely anything in his surroundings stirred.

With nothing to do, his mind wandered back to the numbers of the elevator. They made absolutely no sense to him. Why were they in a particular pattern?

Three, star, six, four, one, seven, nine, eight, two, zero. Three, star, six, four, one, seven, nine, eight, two, zero. What did they mean? Three, star, six, four, one, seven, nine, eight, two, zero. He thought some more. Three, star, six, four, one, seven, nine, eight, two, zero. He bit his lip in thought. Three, star, six, four-

The door to his prison opened. Heels clicked satisfyingly on the hard floor, the flap of a long coat could be heard as the door thud shut.

The mysterious newcomer hummed a tune somewhat recognisable by the bound boy. The footsteps got somewhat quieter. Ren could hear a rustle and the clink of ice knocking on glass, the swirling of liquid as it filled its container. The newcomer puts a container down, a sniff, a sip and a satisfied sigh. Ren said nothing. He dared not.

The footsteps started again, getting louder, the rattle of ice in water knocking glass more audible. The figure still hummed, carefree as Ren could feel their gaze trail along his body. They stopped when Ren could feel someone in front of him, the slight clinking of glass and the breaths from his observer almost syncing with the frenzied beating of his heart that banged rhythmically on his eardrums.

He felt a hand, a gloved hand, roughly grab the blindfold, yanking it upward. Ren yelps, the sudden action combined with the pain of the yank and the lights above seering his unfocused eyes that blinded him causing him pain. He squeezes his eyelids shut before opening them, blinking rapidly, the same gloved hand gently caresses his chin before tilting his head upwards.

When his eyes finally focused, he found familiar golden eyes framed behind a familiar mask staring back at grey.


	2. The Empress Theatre - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers start here! Thank you for al who commented/left a kudos on this fanfic!
> 
> Also: I'm splitting chapter 1 since it's an absolutely huge chapter and I would like to keep myself motivated in writing the fanfic aha. Thank you so much for digifangirl97 for proof reading the fanfic and for rui_the_galaxy_angel for literally everything.

An hour had passed since the discovery of Ren's Palace, Futaba and Morgana had since lied down on her bed. The lights were off, her curtains shut, the only sources of light were from the glowing green stars on blue fabric and the various monitors that softly hummed within the still air. 

Morgana was curled up on her chest, her phone in her lazy grip. Futaba stared at the ceiling, eyes still red from crying. Neither of them had fully recovered from their shared grief, the chat in which the thieves all talked on falling silent. 

Her phone chimed. Futaba raised her phone to her face, a herculean tasked with her sapped energy. It was Sumire. She dropped her hand back down limply. She listened to the continued chimes, her phone vibrating until it fell silent again. Sumire now knew. 

Neither she or Morgana uttered anything. The girl's hand was resting on the feline’s back. Her fingers curled around his short black fur. 

A knock on her door. Morgana perked his ears up. Futaba stirred from her depressed stupor. 

"Futaba?" a gruff voice called out in concern. Sojiro. Futaba groans as Morgana hops off from her chest. She rises up from her bed as Sojiro opens the door. 

"Did you just wake from a little nap?" her father figure asks, reaching for the light switch to illuminate the room, "I was wondering where you'd run off to, I expected you to-" 

He stops, gazing upon his daughter. He notices her red, blotchy eyes and her snotty nose. Futaba did not make eye contact with her father figure, electing to further withdraw within herself, hugging her legs as she looked away from him. 

"Futaba-" he says, his cheery demeanor easily replaced with concern, but it was when he saw Morgana did a sweat break from his forehead. 

"Futaba, what happened? Why is the cat here?" 

She hugs her legs tighter.

“R….Ren…”

She buries her face in her hands. 

“He’s...”

“Hey, hey.” Sojiro coos, stumbling towards Futaba, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her into a hug “Why don’t we talk about it when you’re ready, alright?”

“But… But-”

“The kid’s gonna be fine, Futaba. Now, come down and have some dinner, you can tell me what's happened to Ren, alright?" 

Futaba hopes she can.

***  
The small dining room within the Sakura residence was quiet, warm light illuminated the room while Sojiro and Futaba sat around a small square table, Morgana lapping a bowl of cat food nearby. The girl stared at the plate of Sojiro's curry, her favourite food. Though normally she would have already dug into the delicious, irresistible dish, today she could not bring herself to eat it. This causes Sojiro worry. 

"So, how was today?" he said, trying to break the tension between the two. The way her shoulders slumped, eyes drooped, head tilting downwards. It reminded him of the time she constantly isolated herself in her room. He didn’t want to lose her again. 

He put his utensil down, but sat there in silence, waiting for her to talk. Though he was a stern parent, he knew that Futaba needed to come around herself. It would do more harm than good to force her to speak about something incredibly sensitive. 

Silence fell between them, the hum of the lightbulb above, the faint whooshing of cars and the sound of quiet crickets chirping the only occupying the space between them. 

Futaba shuffles in her seat, Sojiro raised his eyebrows in attention. 

“..was fine.” Futaba answered, still avoiding eye contact with her father figure, “I went and got some stuff. And I talked to Kana-chan.” she mumbled, Sojiro having to strain his hearing with great effort. 

“That’s good!” he exclaimed, Futaba only hid her face further within herself and Sojiro had regretted his words. 

“Futaba… I’m sorry I.” 

“T-The Metaverse is back, Sojiro.” Futaba whined, her voice strained as she began to cry again, fresh tears retracing streaks left by her earlier crying session, “It’s back and… Ren’s… Ren…”

“H-hey now.” Sojiro said, jumping out of his chair to hug his crying daughter, Morgana watching silently within the corner of the dining room as Sojiro wrapped comforting arms around Futaba, a hand resting on her head as she buried her face into his stomach. He allowed her to cry, not uttering another word as she sobbed, soaking her tears upon the striped, pink dress shirt he wore when working in Leblanc. 

Once she calmed down, he let her go. Sitting back down, he waited for her to continue explaining Ren’s situation. 

“Th- thanks, Sojiro.” 

“You don’t need to thank me, Futaba.” Sojiro said softly, “Now, if you are comfortable with telling me about what’s happened to Ren…”

“...Yeah…” she trailed off somewhat still avoiding his gaze, “Remember when… when the phantom thieves were a big thing. A-and we went to Palaces and the Metaverse t-to change hearts and stuff?”

“Yeah, kind of.” Sojiro admitted. Though he did his best in trying to understand the Metaverse, he never really completely wrapped his head around it. 

“And when we destroyed it? During Christmas Eve?”

“Yeah, when you went to battle with that weird robot-God-thing.” Sojiro laughed, “I still remember that day. Thought the world was going to end and everything when it started to rain what looked like blood… it wasn’t blood, right?”

Futaba weakly shrugged before continuing her explanation. 

“W… Well.” 

Futaba felt something brush up upon her lap. It was Morgana, giving that extra push of comfort as she continued. 

“It came back today and… Ren and Mona got pulled into it. Into a Palace, the heart of a distorted person’s desire. Mona got out somehow but… Ren wasn’t so lucky.” 

A pause. 

“Ah-” 

“The Palace was his.” she squeaked, “It was his Palace.”

Another pause. Sojiro sighed. He understood what Futaba and the other ex Phantom Thieves were considering doing.

“I know I’m not able to help much.” Sojiro admitted, Futaba looking up at her father figure, “But… if there’s anything that I can do, Futaba, please don’t hesitate to ask. The kid’s practically family, and I want to do anything I can to help save him.” 

Futaba looks at him, stunned. 

“S-Sojiro I-”

He smiled at Futaba, “I may not know much about the Metaverse, but I do know you, Futaba. Now, just be careful when you’re out there, alright? The last thing I want you to do is for you to get yourself in danger as well. Just… bring yourself and the kid home safe. Do you understand?”

Futaba ponders for a moment, her gaze drifting towards Morgana. He gives a nod to her, Sojiro’s words uplifting his mood as well, and then smiles determinately at Sojiro.

“I do.” she answers. 

***

Ren could only stare at the figure before him, dread and disbelief choking his throat. No. He tried to deny it, deny the golden eyed reflection that stood before him, but he did not want to believe it. He could not believe it. He was a Persona user. He was the Trickster. He was the Wildcard. So how, how was he able to have a Palace of all things?

His shadow, his eyes and the black-gold mask adorned on his face similar to the fountain he saw earlier, grinned toothily at him. The only other differences Ren could note between his Metaverse outfit and his shadow was the red waistcoat that adorned its chest, golden buttons sparkling in the light as his shadow moved. 

“Hello, hello my very special guest!” his shadow greeted him, taking his hand off of Ren’s chin, a glass of what appeared to be brandy and ice in his other hand, “So good of you to come to me, I take it that you're comfortable in your seat?” 

“I-” 

“Of course you are.” his shadow interrupted him, “After the trouble I went to pick out the chair for you. All my fellow lead actors insisted I get that one, and who am I but a servant to the masses?”

He playfully bowed, the glass of drink still in his hand clinking loudly, “Vous êtes les bienvenus.”

“You can’t be real.” Ren muttered to himself shaking his head. His shadow raised its head from his bow to look up at him, “This is a dream. It has to be a dream.” 

“I can assure you that this is all real.” his shadow purred, delighted at Ren’s distress as he rose from his bow, “Everything you see right now is happening in real time. This is not a dream, no matter how much you wish it to be. Here-”

His shadow suddenly reached out towards him, grabbing a bit of skin on Ren’s arms, twisting it roughly and suddenly. Ren yelped in pain, and when his shadow let go, Ren could see the patch of skin reddening before him. 

“See? Not a dream.” his shadow said, taking a sip from his drink, “Completely in the conscious realm, or whatever this world counts to anyway.” 

Ren wants to deny his shadow’s words, but he couldn’t. He looks down on the floor, his shadow still standing in front of him, waiting for him patiently to speak. 

“This is…” 

“Impossible, unfeasible, out of the question. Yet here I am!” his shadow chuckles, voice rattling in excitement, “The star of the show! And you’re here as well! It worked!”

“But why? Why am I here?” 

“Because you’ve been a naughty boy, Ren.” his shadow’s smile growing wider and more sinister, “A naughty, naughty boy. Your heart’s a mess, your wishes distorted, but don’t worry. I’m here to take care of you, to grant us your wish. I needed you here for it to work, however.”

“But I don’t have any distorted desires.” Ren shakes his head, eyes on the marble floor. He wants to deny what is in front of him, yet a sense of dread tightly grasps his heart, “I don’t under-”

A muffled grunt came from his shadow, Ren looked up to see his shadow gripping onto himself, eyes squeezed shut, a hand over his mouth while another held a shaky grip on his drink. His eyes widened in surprise as his shadow gasped shaky breaths. As suddenly as he started, his shadow quickly relaxed, shoulders that were tensed up slowly falling, his shadow unwrapping himself from his sudden hug. 

“I’m… sorry about that.” his shadow apologised genuinely, putting his drink upon the nearest available surface, “I have no idea what came over me, but…”

He smiled at Ren, “That doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is that you’re here, and that the show; my plans, can finally commence!” 

“Why do you need me?” Ren asks his shadow, looking at it with genuine confusion, “Wouldn’t it be better for us if I wasn’t here?”

“I know you don’t think so, but you’re so important for what I have in store.” his shadow replied, striding towards Ren yet again, this time to give him what appeared to be a reassuring pat on the head, “I can’t reveal much. Not yet. But I can tell you that I needed you to give our friends some extra motivation in order to join us in our utopia-” 

“-And you’re the one who somehow put the app back on my phone.” Ren interjected, “You’re the one who dragged me to this place, the one who most likely ordered Morgana to be thrown out of the theatre, the same one who me to be captured and brought up on here.”

“You’ve caught on pretty quickly!” his shadow congratulating him mockingly, clapping thrice as if to give him a round of applause, “And yes, I was the one who did all those things. Oh, by the way…”

He pulled Ren’s phone out of one of his pockets. 

“Thank you so much for this.” he smiles, “I couldn’t have done what I did without it.”

“How did you get that?”

“This?” his shadow gestured to Ren’s phone in his hand, waving it back and forth tauntingly at his captive, “I got it from you of course. You looked so peaceful with Morgana while unconscious… I didn’t want to disturb you.” 

“So you waited for me to enter the theatre, just to capture me?” Ren asked, raising an eyebrow, “Wouldn’t it be easier for you to capture me while I was out there?”

“Yes, you’re right, but I needed Morgana to know you were captured, silly!” his shadow explains, clearly enjoying how confused and uncomfortable he made Ren, “I needed to give him a reason to come back; and after all, we’re both suckers for the dramatics, aren’t we?”

Ren bit his lip, his eyebrows knitted in thought. His phone! If his shadow had somehow used it to get him in, then he can use it to get out. He just needed…

He heard his phone drop onto the floor, and looked to see in time his shadow bring his foot down, the heel of its boot digging and crumbling the glass of the screen. He continued to stomp on it. Repeatedly. He broke the device further and further until it was nothing more than a smoulder of glass and plastic. Ren could only watch as the whole ordeal took place, eyes wider and more terrified as his shadow laughed and laughed in delight as he continued to destroy Ren’s only option of escaping the Metaverse.

“There we go! Another task off my list!” The shadow exclaimed in delight, Ren grimacing at the sputtering sound and sour smelling smoke that came from the remains of what was once his phone. His shadow looked to see Ren’s saddened expression, faux curiosity crossing his face. 

“What’s the matter, me?” he asks as he gets closer again to Ren, “Are you-”

The shadow’s throat suddenly tightened up, he gasps as yet another surge of energy shoots his veins. He feels his heart writhing, twisting tighter in his chest, and he barely could save his composure as a whine escaped his throat. Ren could only watch as his shadow turned his back at him, horrified and confused as to why his shadow was suddenly having a fit as his shadow grabbed onto the nearest surface available and held it for dear life.

His shadow groaned loudly, feeling himself sweat under his mask as yet another surge ravaged his veins in what could only be described as pleasure. He gripped tightly onto a small table for life, knocking his previously forgotten drink, the glass smashing as he rested his forehead on the cold surface, still exhaling shaky breaths as his fingers curled tightly into fists. 

“Are you okay?” he could hear Ren ask, over the drumming of his heart, squeezing tears out of his golden eyes. His shadow could only laugh weakly. His other, his… real self, trapped and held by his twisted thoughts and hidden desires still cared for someone other than him. His shadow rolled his golden eyes, hidden from Ren as the surge slowly started to dissipate from his veins. 

“Yes. Yes I am.” his shadow grunted, slowly uncurling his fingers, feeling sparks of energy flowing freely from within his fingertips. Without moving from his position he thought to himself: this had happened thrice. Once when Ren had looked upon the fountain statue, and twice during their conversation. Though his shadow had yet to draw concrete causality, he did know that he liked these surges of power. He licked his lips in delight. He liked them very much so. 

The shadow pushed himself up, arms still shaking, his head still somewhat fuzzy, turning to his guest, “So sorry again. Now, where were we, mon invité?”

“Telling me your plan?” Ren asks sweetly. His shadow gave him a look, before laughing. 

“Now, now. Don’t get hasty.” his shadow purred, striding towards his captive, “There was something. Something I wanted to- Ah, yes, that was it!”

His shadow reached for Ren’s glasses, snatching them up, before effortlessly crushing them in his hands. 

“There we go!” he said, marvelling as Ren’s shocked face, “You don’t need them anyway, we both know the lenses are fake.”

The shadow drops the broken glasses onto the floor, snapping his fingers with another, two shadow guards appearing behind him, “Clean up this mess and put him in his room” his shadow ordered before turning on his heel, slipping his hands in his pockets, before walking away, the faceless shadows saying nothing as they advanced with their tasks.

“Oh, by the way.” his shadow called for him from behind his shoulder, Ren feeling one of the shadow’s gripping tightly onto the back of his chair, “You may call me Joker here. This may be your Palace, but I alone am the star of this theatre. You best remember that, my special guest.”

He turns away and continues to walk away as Ren gets pulled into a dark room. The last thing he sees is Joker’s coat flapping in invisible wind as the shadow guard slams the door shut, leaving him in total darkness yet again. 

***

After the heartfelt dinner with Sojiro, Futaba dashed up the stairs of her home and towards her room with newfound determination, slamming the door shut and hopping into her office chair. Morgana barely caught up with her, this sudden burst of athleticism from the normally bone idle girl shocking him, and he almost got locked out from the room. 

“Futaba, watch it!” Morgana squeaked as the door slammed behind him, “You almost locked me out of the room.” 

“Sorry, Mona.” Futaba apologises almost offhandedly as her fingers rapidly jumped around her keyboard, furiously typing, occasionally reaching for the mouse beside her making rapid clicks, her gaze glued towards the main monitor as the others flickered with text. 

“Well, what are you doing?” Morgana asks as he hops onto the available desk space beside her.

“Some preparations.” she answered simply. 

“Preparations?” he asks, “for what?”.

“For infiltrating Ren’s Palace, duh.”

“Oooh.” Morgana nodded, and then looked at the screen curiously, “Wait, how are you going to do that?”

“I’m making some notes on what to buy from the clinic nearby.” she explains, “I remember what Ren normally brings on missions. That and quickly researching some possible resources we might need.”

“Like what?”  
“Smoke bombs, lockpicks, all those spicy things.”

“You know I can teach you how to make those right?”

Futaba stops her typing abruptly, turning to Morgana. 

“Wait, what?!” she exclaims, Morgana gives her an unamused look. 

“You know I was the one who taught him how to make infiltration tools, right?” Morgana informs her bluntly. Futaba continues to look at him, shocked. 

“It never occurred to you?!”

“Well… I mean…”

“What?”

“You don’t have any thumbs, how could you teach him if you don’t have thumbs?”

“I can still teach without thumbs, Futaba!” Morgana exclaims, annoyed at her assumption.

“I know,” she scoffs back, “I just forgot, okay? I’m sorry.”

Morgana looks at her, and sighs, shaking his head, “Well… what else are you gonna do? We don’t exactly know what’s in his Palace yet… maybe we should consult the others before making preparations.”

“Hmmm you’re right.” Futaba says, going back onto her computer. Morgana looks at her, surprised. 

“What are you doing?” he asks. 

“Chatting with the others.” she replies, turning to him, “You do know that most, if not all chatting applications have a desktop version.”

**Futaba:** YO GUYS  
 **Futaba:** been thinking about stuff and  
 **Futaba:** we should really make plans to save ren

“No I don’t, I’m a cat!” Morgana exclaims, “How am I supposed to know that?” 

“Do you even know anything?” she asks, amused and annoyed by the cat. 

“I know lots of stuff.” he huffed, “Just not… human technology stuff.”

“Well, you do at least know how warm kotatsu are.” she giggles, “And how warm laptops are, and are a total radiator hog.” 

“Hey, that winter was particularly cold!” Morgana defends himself, remembering his reaction when he saw Ren sending pictures of himself sleeping on different appliances to Futaba, “I couldn’t resist! You’d understand if you were a cat!” 

Futaba giggles, her computer chimes. She turns to see messages being typed within the chat.

**Ann:** heya futaba  
 **Ann:** yeah I’ve been thinking about him after we talked  
 **Ryuji:** me too  
 **Ryuji:** felt so shit after knowing he had a Palace  
 **Ann:** I talked it over to shiho as well  
 **Ryuji:** after all the shit we’ve been through, it really sucks that he’s gotten that bad  
 **Yusuke:** The heart can be a fragile thing if not strengthened properly…  
 **Ann:** and i ended up reminiscing about stuff

**Futaba** checks to see if the others were online within the chat. 

**Sumire:** but Ren’s senpai’s heart is the strongest one I know!  
 **Sumire:** I know that I’d never be able to do the things he did…   
**Ryuji:** like what ann?   
**Haru:** I was actually wondering what could have caused such a dramatic shift.  
 **Makoto:** Is there something he’s not telling us?   
**Makoto:** It has to be.  
 **Makoto:** He’s been really distant lately.  
 **Ann:** like i dunno, when we were still at shujin with him?   
**Ann:** the more I talked about it with her, the more I realised that I wanted to help him.   
**Makoto:** I know what you mean.  
 **Ann:** I mean i want to help him but, i wanna do that even more  
 **Ryuji:** me too  
 **Futaba:** wait shiho?   
**Futaba:** who’s that again?   
**Ann:** my friend, remember?   
**Ann:** the one who jumped because of kamoshida  
 **Ryuji:** if it wasn’t for him that shithead would still have a teaching position  
 **Ann:** without him, i wouldn’t have gotten justice for her,   
**Ann:** and i wouldn’t have wanted to broaden my horizons without him  
 **Haru:** Maybe it has to do with something that happened during our year apart?   
**Sumire:** could be, but he hasn’t really told me anything…   
**Ryuji:** and without him i wouldn’t have made up with my ex track team  
 **Makoto:** I don’t know. He usually talks with me about things that bother him…  
 **Yusuke:** I second the motion of helping Ren by uprooting his Palace.  
 **Yusuke:** Without Ren, I would still be in an abusive situation. 

Futaba wipes a tear from her eye. 

**Makoto:** But now whenever I talk to him, about him, he suddenly changes the subject.  
 **Yusuke:** A slave to that sham of an artist, Madarame, I would still be in his oppressive grasp without him. I wouldn’t have found a way to express the heart of man without him.  
 **Yusuke:** I even got justice for my late mother because of him…   
**Yusuke:** I feel as though at this point, we would let him down if we do not return the favour and assist him in his time of need.   
**Ryuji:** yeah!  
 **Ann:** wait how can you second a motion, ryuji already beat you to it  
 **Yusuke:** I’m just saying I agree.   
**Makoto:** Yeah.  
 **Makoto:** Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to stop Kaneshiro from exploiting teenagers for all kinds of disgusting, illegal activities he was conducting.   
**Makoto:** Without him, I wouldn’t have saved my sister from her own distorted destruction, nor would have I had the opportunity to broaden my horizons and realize what I wanted to do in life.  
 **Makoto:** I want in. 

More tears started to run down her face as Futaba typed her own message. 

**Ann:** god mood  
 **Makoto:** I agree as well.   
**Yusuke:** Poetically put, Haru.  
 **Ryuji:** hell yeah!!!!!  
 **Sumire:** same. Without his help I wouldn’t really haven’t gotten over with my sister’s death.   
**Sumire:** I would have still lived a lie and wouldn’t have moved on without senpai… I wouldn’t have seen my worth in the world without him.  
 **Sumire:** I… want to help him. I want him to help like he helped me.   
**Haru:** Me too!  
 **Sumire:** Let’s go save Ren!

More tears streamed down her face, yet she was not sad, her heart fluttered with joy.

**Ryuji:** shit dude i’m crying irl rn  
 **Ann:** me too ;;;  
 **Yusuke:** I think I’ve gotten something in my eye...

“He helped me get my memories back, and save the world from distortion, twice.” Morgana says to Futaba, looking at her with resolve, his tail flicking in the air, “I want to do anything it takes to save him from his own distortions, no matter the cost.”

**Haru:** Me too!  
 **Sumire:** Let’s go save Ren!  
 **Makoto:** So. Since we are all in agreement, when is everyone free?   
**Makoto:** I’m free tomorrow.   
**Ann:** me too!  
 **Ryuji:** same, got nothing on rn  
 **Yusuke:** I can meet up tomorrow if that’s what everyone wants.   
**Haru:** I’m free this week!  
 **Futaba:** same, got nothing on.  
 **Sumire:** I’m on a break for gymnastics training anyway, so I can meet up!  
 **Makoto:** Great! Now all that’s left is to decide on our hideout. 

Futaba remembers what Sojiro said to her during dinner. 

**Futaba:** we can meet at leblanc tomorrow!  
 **Futaba:** sojiro knows, and he says he wants to do anything he can help  
 **Makoto:** That… could work.   
**Haru:** It would be like old times, wouldn’t it?   
**Yusuke:** Yes. I was actually thinking about swinging by regardless.   
**Ryuji:** lol for real  
 **Yusuke:** This would be the perfect excuse to revisit the cafe. 

Futaba rolls her eyes, wiping off the tears and snot on her face with the back of her sleeve.

**Futaba:** oh inari.   
**Yusuke:** I was actually thinking about going there again during this week.  
 **Sumire:** haha, that totally sounds like you, Yusuke-senpai.   
**Ann:** so uh, tomorrow right?   
**Makoto:** Yes, if everyone is free.   
**Ryuji:** count me in!  
 **Yusuke:** Me too as well, please.   
**Futaba:** ofc! I’m in!  
 **Haru:** Count me in too!  
 **Sumire:** Me too! for Senpai!  
 **Makoto:** So just to reiterate, we’re meeting at Leblanc tomorrow?  
 **Ryuji:** hell yeah!  
 **Ann:** yeah!  
 **Yusuke:** I agree  
 **Haru:** Of course!  
 **Sumire:** Yes, you can count me in!

Futaba looks at Morgana. He nods with confidence. 

**Futaba:** me and mona are ready to go!   
**Futaba:** i’ll tell sojiro right away!  
 **Makoto:** Good to hear! Remember to bring your weapons and guns if you still have them.  
 **Makoto:** Other than that, let’s do it. Let’s go into his Palace and save him! For Ren!  
 **Yusuke:** For Ren!  
 **Ann:** for ren!  
 **Ryuji:** we’re coming for you dude  
 **Haru:** For Ren!  
 **Ryuji:** for ren!  
 **Sumire:** hang in there, Senpai!

Futaba was now crying, full of joy and determination and emotion as she typed her message of agreement. 

**Futaba:** for Ren ╭( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑

They were going to save him. Just like he had saved them, no matter what. 

“For Ren.” Morgana mutters, looking straight past the curtained window, hope shimmering in his eyes, “We’re coming to save you, Ren. Just hold on for us. We’re coming.”

***

The next day as promised, Futaba had Sojio close the forgotten cafe, sitting on one of the booths as she typed away on her laptop. The only sounds that occupied the rustic space was the sound of her rapid typing on the keyboard and the sound of clinking cups and boiling rice, Sojiro reading the food mainly for the handful of regulars that visited him. It was early morning, Morgana resting on the booth seat next to her, hidden from the rest of the public. Sojiro often emphasised the need for the feline phantom thief to stay hidden from potential customers, worried that the sight of the cat would cause customers to doubt the impeccable freshness of the food he served. 

“So… you’ve got everything?” Sojiro asks his daughter, breaking the tense atmosphere that inhabited the cafe. 

“Mmhm.” Futaba nods, gesturing to the plastic bag behind her laptop monitor full of different boxes, “I had that doc from the clinic give me some items… I was gonna pay her but she said it was complimentary.” 

“Is that so?” Sojiro hummed, raising an eyebrow. He wondered why Tae would just give out medical supplies for free, him not knowing the doctor well personally. Futaba must have either told her Ren was in serious trouble, or that she was lying, and had somehow procured the money by other unknown means.

He had to ask Tae about the medication later. He sighed, looking down with a hand resting on his forehead. 

“Boss seems really stressed.” Morgana meows. Futaba looks up to see Sojiro with a stressed expression. 

“Sojiro?”

“Hm?” he said, looking back up to see Futaba’s eyes gazing with worry. He flashed her one of his confidant smiles, washing away the stress that adorned his face, “What’s the matter?”

“Mona says that you seem really stressed,” she explains, “Is there anything wrong?”

“No it’s just…” Sojiro sighs, his facade dropping back to the same stressed expression Futaba had caught him with, “I’m just worried about Ren. The kid’s strong don’t get me wrong but; I just don’t know enough of this Metaverse place to have an ease of mind about his safety.”

“Don’t worry, Sojiro.” Futaba says, closing her laptop screen before standing up in the booth, a determined expression crossing her face, “We’re gonna save him no matter what happens! We’re gonna bring him home, you can count us on that!”

Sojiro looks at Futaba, looks at the sheer fire and determination in her eyes, and smiles. She had grown a lot after Ren had stolen her treasure, after he had saved her from her own distortions and misery, and how she intended to do the same. That passion. That desire to pursue something she had her mind set on. It reminded him so much of her mother. 

The chime of the doorbell rang as it opened, Makoto walking into the cafe. She awkwardly stood there, seeing Futaba up in her seat.

“Did I interrupt something?” she asks, “I’m so sorry if that’s the case. I just thought I would arrive early to make some last minute preparations.” 

“N-nothing!” Futaba stammers shily, and Sojiro breaths a half hearted laugh. 

“Um… okay then.” Makoto says awkwardly as she walks towards the booth that Futaba’s sat in, giving Sojiro a quick ‘thank you’ and a bow before returning to her intended path, Sojiro flashing an appreciative smile in response, “By the way, I bought some supplies on the way here.”

She raises the plastic bag full of what seemed to be medication, “These are for us in case we need them while in the Palace. I don’t know what items Ren normally gets during our infiltrations, so I’ve taken the liberty to get some of everything.”

“Oh...”Futaba says, “I mean, I did that as well.”

“Oh!” Makoto exclaims, “Well, the more the better. We still have no clue what to expect in Ren’s Palace, so it’s better to be over prepared than under!” she awkwardly laughs. 

“Nice save.” Morgana puurs, half amused at how awkward Makoto still acts around them. She puts down the plastic bag full of medicine and sits across Futaba.

“So, what have you been up to?” she asks, an attempt to start up a conversation between the two of them. 

“Been mostly doing my own research.” she says nonchalantly, “Digging through Ren’s social media, the social media of his parents-”

“Have you talked to any of his friends?” Makoto asks, Futaba nods, but looks disappointed. 

“He doesn’t really have a lot of friends that live there,” Futaba informs Makoto as she types away, “The ones that he seems close to, this girl named Nanako and her cousin Yu, has no clue as to how he’s been doing. To them, he just seems to be acting just fine. No shifts in mood, not anything.”

“Well that is troubling…” Makoto murmurs to herself, “What about his parents?”

“He hasn’t spoken to them since he’s moved to Tokyo.” Futaba winces, “Judging by the way they typed, I think they have a more than strained relationship between them.”

“That’s…” Makoto says, shaking her head. From her late night chats with Ren she knew his relationship with his parents were less than favourable; but to not talk to them for so long, “I think that may be a factor as to why he has a Palace.” 

“Sounds like it.” Futaba hums in agreement, “I’ll see what else I can dig up.”

“Thank you, Futaba.” Makoto says, Futaba nodding back as she typed on her keyboard. 

A minute later the door opened again, Yusuke striding into the cafe, a wide, brown bookbag strung on one of his shoulders. 

“I’m not interrupting anything, aren’t I?” he asks politely, looking at both Futaba and Makoto. 

“No, of course not.” Makoto says, moving deeper into the booth before patting the spot next to her, inviting Yusuke to sit, “Come join us. We were just discussing stuff.”

“Ah, well.” Yusuke says, taking Makoto’s offer, sitting down next to her, “I have some theories of my own, if this thing we’re talking about is Ren of course, but first.”

He turns to Sojiro. 

“Thank you for allowing us to use Leblanc again. We’ll sure make up for it.”

“You don’t need to thank me, kid.” Sojiro sighs, “It’s the least I can do. You’re all risking your lives in order to save the poor kid from himself if I’m understanding this whole ‘Palace’ thing correctly. Just… get him out of there in one piece, okay?”

“We will.” Makoto nods, “We’ll do everything we can to save him.”

Another ring as the sound of the door closing grabs everyone’s attention, Haru standing in front of the doorway along with Sumire trailing behind her.

“Hello, everybody.” Haru waves, “I hope we’re not intruding on anything.”

“Nah, you two are good.” Morgana chirps up before anything, using his hind legs to stand and his front legs to support his small frame on the table, “We were just discussing what led to Ren’s sudden distortion. We haven’t gotten any leads so far however.”

“Oh..” Sumire says, and Haru’s smile seemed to drop as well, “So you were talking about Ren-senpai.”

“Yes, I was wondering myself about what caused his Palace to appear. I even have some theories of my own.” Haru murmured, “But before I share them.”

She turns to Sojiro, bowing, Sumire following her lead. 

“Thank you for allowing us to use Leblanc, Sojiro-san.” Haru thanks. 

“Yes, thank you so much!” Sumire exclaims. 

“Aww, you don’t need to thank me.” Sojiro bashfully accepts their thankful attitude, “Just bring the kid home safe will you?”

“We will!” Haru cheerfully smiles. 

“Oh course!” Sumire says, rising from her bow, before turning to the rest of the group, “Oh yeah, on the way here I got some supplies that I’ll think would be really helpful for us.” 

She raises a plastic bag, it having a cross and a cute drawing of a mascot, “I got some supplies from the pharmacy in case we need anything like that in the-”

She looks at the two plastic bags that had similar contents to her’s.

“Oh… uh.”

“You can put them with the rest.” Makoto huffs, and Sumire does so obediently. She turns to Haru, who politely asks Futaba to move further into the booth, “So, you were saying?”

“Oh? Oh yeah!” Haru exclaims as she felt Morgana hop into her lap, instinctively reaching out to pet his soft fur, “I was mentioning about how I have some of my own theories as to why Ren suddenly has a Palace.”

“I have my own as well, although I don’t really know that much about senpai, so I think I might be wrong about certain things...”

“Don’t worry, Sumire. I’m sure your theories would be just as helpful to us as the others.” Morgana smiles (as well as he could as a cat), “We need all the info we can gather if we’re gonna have any idea what we’re up against.”

“Thanks, Mona-senpai!” Sumire exclaims, her mood lifted by his words. 

Another ring from the cafe door sounded, the thieves turning to see Ryuji in the doorway. 

“What’s up guys.” he exclaims, grinning as he walked inside, “I’m so ‘effing pumped about this. Couldn’t sleep last night.”

He turned to Sojiro. 

“Hey, Boss.” he greeted the elder, “Thanks for lettin’ us use the cafe again.”

“No problem.” Sojiro waves, “Just doing what I can to help you all save Ren.” 

“Yeah. Oh, speaking about helping Ren.” he says, taking out a small white box of pills, “I uh… forgot to bring some stuff, so I quickly snagged some painkillers from a pharmacy in case we need any.”

He smiles, proud of himself as he holds the pills. Yet the unamused faces of his friends caused his expression to shift to one of confusion, “What’s up?”

His gaze drifts to the booth table currently occupied by them, him stepping back in shock as he sees the large stack of supplies in front of him. 

“Whoa, what?!”

“I feel like this situation is turning to one of great irony.” Yusuke mutters to himself, wincing at how embarrassingly comedic the group's endeavors of being useful turned out to be, “I suggest we should elect who would be responsible for gathering healing items as soon as Ann gets here. Just looking at the excess of medication sickens me somewhat.”

“I agree.” Makoto sighs, “I’d doubt we’ll be using most of it regardless.” 

“I was just trying to help.” Ryuji sulks disappointingly, “‘The more the merrier’, right?”

“I think that saying only applies to people.” Haru informs. 

“Well, I still mean what I said!” he huffs. 

The cafe door rings again, and all of them turn their attention to whoever the newcomer was. 

“Heya, so sorry I’m late.” Ann smiles, the girl holding a half eaten sandwich in one of her hands, a plastic bag wrapped around her wrist in another. She nods an acknowledgement to Sojiro, him smiling back at her, before returning to the conversation with her friends, “I brought-”

“Please, don’t say medicine.” Sumire exclaims, Ann looking at her with a quizzical look. 

“Medicine? Why would I-”

She spots something from the corner of her eye, turning to see the plastic bags and the multitude of prescription boxes inside.

“Whoa…” she says in amazement, her eyes widening, “That’s a lot.”

“We know.” Makoto sighs, already tired of the situation they found themselves in. 

“If I may ask, Ann.” Haru pipques up, “What did you bring if not medicine?”

“I brought snacks, of course!”

“You… brought snacks?!” Yusuke asks, surprised by these turn of events, “But… why?”

“Well,” Ann started, everyone but Futaba’s gaze started to get to her, “I knew Makoto would be the one to bring things like medication, and Ryuji would bring some snacks for us. But I knew Ryuji would also forget, so I took the liberty to stop in Shibuya to pick up a few things before I got here.”

“Gee, thanks for being so confident about me.” Ryuji said, sighing, slipping his hands in his pockets. 

“Hey, I only said that because I’ve known you the longest!” Ann exclaims. 

“Yeah, I know!” he shouts back, before turning to the rest of the group, his mood perking up somewhat, “Anyway, since Ann is here, we gotta def discuss the Palace.”

“I agree.” Makoto said, tucking a stray hair back behind her ear, “Since everyone has gathered, we need to discuss the possible reasons why Ren is having these distortions. I’m somewhat confident that there will be minimal danger since this is his Palace after all, but we still need to discuss possible scenarios we'll be facing during our infiltration.”

Makoto turns to look at Futaba, who was on her computer the entire time, “Futaba, you may go first.”

“H-huh?” Futaba snaps to attention, looking at Makoto with a startled expression, “I uh… what did you say?”

“I was talking about us all discussing possible reasons for Ren’s distorted thoughts.” Makoto repeated herself exasperatedly, “We need to consider anything and everything as to why Ren would feel the way he does.”

“Well, I do have a theory.” Yusuke talks up. 

“She asked me, Inari.”

“Yes, but I just wanted to take the opportunity to share.” he explains himself, turning to Makoto and ignoring the glare Futaba was giving him, “I suspect it has to do with something with him returning back to Inaba after our first year with him. The few times I’ve talked to him about his hometown before he moved permanently into Tokyo he only gave vague answers and affirmations. If I had to guess, it would probably be about his dissatisfaction towards his hometown.”

“I’ve done some snooping around myself.” Futaba informs the rest of the group, slightly lowering the monitor of her laptop, “It seems like a lot of friends Ren used to have in Inaba have stopped interacting with him ever since he received the probation charge.” she explains, “And even if his name has been cleared up, he’s still labeled as a delinquent over there. The handful of friends he still has don’t really talk to him anymore, too busy with their own stuff.”

“Apparently,” Makoto begins to relay her information, “He has a strained relationship with his parents as well. Sometimes when I video-chat him, I sometimes witness him having verbal fights with either his mother or father, him looking more agitated right after.”

“Mmm those were pretty common, unfortunately.” Morgana mutters, gazing down at the table, his comment startling the rest of the phantom thieves. He looked up, noting their surprised expressions.

“He has regular fights with his parents?” Sumire winced at this new information, “What about, exactly?”

“I dunno, I’m normally in his room when they fight, but they fight pretty frequently. Mostly about his reputation ever since Shido sued him, but Ren seemed to shrug them off effortlessly.” 

“He never told me about that.” Makoto grimaces, thinking about the reasons why Ren would hide such information from her, “I mean, he’d vent to me about school and how his teachers treated him there, but nothing about his parents.”

Morgana gives her a worried look. 

“Maybe his parents have to do something with his distortions?” Haru puts forth, “It seems like that might have at least contributed to the formation of his Palace.”

“Yeah, definitely.” Ann said, “But there must be more reasons why he’s suddenly getting these distortions. I mean, his Palace location being the World? Something about that doesn’t sit right with me.”

“We still don’t have anything concrete.” Morgana sighs, “Yes, all those things can contribute to a distortion, but I don’t feel like it’s the main reason why Ren has a Palace. Remember, this distortion is so strong that it’s able to completely rob Ren’s will of rebellion and take away his Persona. It has to be something that severe.”

“Well, I’m not sure it’ll help much, but Ren has been really quiet lately.” Haru humms. 

“He’s always quiet though.” Ann points out, finishing the sandwich she brought with her.

“Yes,” Haru said, an edge of irritation in her tone, “Sorry for not being more specific but, what I meant was that Ren’s been quieter than before.” She clarifies, “Whenever we meet up and talk he’d give me brief comments and always answered with ‘yes’ and ‘no’, especially about the advancement of my cafe. I always left it that way only because he seemed a bit more tired than usual. I should have pried further looking back.”

“I know what you mean.” Ann huffs, a look of self disappointment on her face, “Whenever I chatted with him he always forgets to text me. He always talks to the group like it’s nothing you know? But whenever I try to confront him about it he never really replies. It’s frustrating.”

“Maybe he’s been really busy?” Sumire reasons, “Whenever I ask for senpai to spend some time with me, he always cancels at the last minute and apologises. I always feel really bad whenever that happens, but he assures me that it’s not my fault. Maybe he's somehow depressed or overworking himself?”

They all turn their heads to Ryuji. 

“What?” he asks. 

“Ren’s normally handing out with you, right?” Ann points out, “I mean, you are the closest person to him besides Makoto and Sumire. You’re practically inseparable. Everytime I see you you’re with him.” 

“I mean, it’s the same old Renren when I spend time with him.” Ryuji laughs awkwardly, hand scratching the back of his head nervously, “Even if he seems down whenever we hang out, I’m sure it’s nothing.”

He lowers his arm, leaning on the cafe’s counter. 

“At least, I hope so.” he admits, “I’m worried about him too but… he’d tell us if anything was bothering him, right?”

He looks at the other thieves, hopeful. They looked back at him, unsure. 

Ryuji gritted his teeth as the group fell into silence. He scratches his head. He wanted to talk, to say something in order to get the group motivated, yet the words escaped him and he was left there, struggling to come up with a rousing speech to raise their spirits. He growls, kicking the ground, frustrated by their lack of knowledge going into the Palace. Though the key words were there, they wanted to know why Ren was feeling the way he did beforehand; it went against everything they knew about their leader.

“Fuck it…” Ryuji hisses, pulling out his phone.

“Ryuji, what are you doing?” Yusuke asks, seeing how frustrated his friend had become.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m sick of waiting around.” Ryuji replies, “We’re all standing here like morons while who knows what is happening in his Palace. I don’t know about you but I want to get him out there ASAP.”

“We don’t even know where his Palace is located!” Makoto exclaims tiredly, “Unlike other cases the term is too vague. Where does ‘The World’ even convey!?”

“I know you want to save him, Ryuji, but Makoto’s right.” Ann says as she reaches to grab Ryuji's phone, him yelping as he just manages to dodge her hand, “You’re just gonna risk us getting found out!”

“Well, is there a place anywhere in Japan called ‘The World’?” Sumire asks Futaba, who returned to her laptop before the fight between the thieves broke out. The girl shook her head. 

“Nope, nothing.” she replies, “I tried hacking the new Nav as well to see if there were any hits that correlated in real life, but the location’s too vague.”

“Well, me and Ren managed to get into the Palace from an alleyway...” Morgana mutters, a fleeting thought that soon suddenly roused an expression of sudden comprehension. He wiggled out of Haru’s lap, dashing across the tiled floors of the cafe and up the steps leading to the attic. 

“Mona-chan!” Haru squeaked in surprise as the feline suddenly jumped out from her lap, startling her as she threw her hands up to not accidentally harm him, “What’s gotten into you?!”

“Quickly, up here everyone!” Morgana calls out to the thieves, and they look at each other with bewilderment. One by one they proceeded to climb up the stairs to the attic, following their shot caller to the small, dusty room above. Futaba gently pushes her laptop closed, and she sees the ginormous bag of medication Yusuke has wrapped around his wrist before he disappears upstairs.

“Whoa, that’s a lot of medicine.” Futaba mutters to Ryuji, pointing out the obscene amounts of boxes within the plastic bag that Yusuke carried upstairs into the attic with him. 

“We know.” he sighs. 

***

Ren wakes up, his eyes fluttering open to darkness. He raises his head up from his shoulder, his neck aching from craning it in an awkward position throughout his sleep, feeling himself still sitting on something. He tried to get up, wanting to stretch his aching limbs and back, but the rope that bound his wrists made him unable to fully do so, instead standing unnaturally, his bound arms forcing him into an awkward half-sit.

He anxiously sighed, realising that the meeting of his shadow wasn’t one of the sick, twisted, hyper realistic nightmares that occasionally tormented his sleep, his mind conjuring up vivid imagery and almost tangible memories of everything that still quietly haunted him a year and a half later. He breaths in slowly, and out again. He tugs at his restraints, and the door in front of him suddenly burst open. His captor, his shadow, appeared as a silhouette against the sudden burst of light that assaulted him. Joker stood there casually, hands in his pockets, features half hidden by black, yet his golden eyes shone unnaturally in the darkness that caressed his figure.

“Bonjour, mon invité.” Joker greets, the grin on his smile as wide as Ren remembers from the previous day, “Did you sleep well? Have any good dreams?”

“You tell me.” Ren smirked, looking rebelliously at his shadow as he continued to tug on the rope that bounded him, “You’re me, aren’t you?”

“Haha, yes.” Joker smiles, his tone dismissive as he notices Ren standing, his arms bent backwards from him still being restrained by the rope, “Very funny.”

Joker walks casually towards Ren, slipping a red hand to touch Ren’s chest and gently pushes back, Ren instinctively sitting back down, “I’m glad you have so much energy today,” Joker continues to purr menacingly, his grin unfaltering as he takes his hand away from his other, standing close, looking over him, “Because I have a whole day of fun planned for you to enjoy.”

“Me? Enjoy?” Ren asks, curious as to what his shadow’s intentions are, “What are you suggesting?”

Joker laughs in response, clearly amused by Ren’s question, “Why, this is a theatre of course, silly! What is there to do in theatres except to watch? Tell me, do you know where you are?”

“In a dark room within my Palace?”

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong.” Joker growled sinisterly, raising a hand and snapping it. A mechanical whirr sounded somewhere behind him, followed by another, and then another, a chorus of whirring surrounded the both of them as Joker spun Ren towards monitors that suddenly flickered on, emerging from the dark. Ren winced, his eyes blinking rapidly as they struggled to adjust to the bursts of sudden light. He squints, eyes still adjusting, slowly making out different sections divided by the screens. He looked at the simple humanoid cognitions wandering through different foyers and theatres, them talking amongst each other, realising that the monitors showed different sections of his Palace. 

“I… I don’t understand?” he admits, darting his eyes towards the different displays, “Why are you showing me this? All of this?”

“Entertainment, of course.” Joker explains, reaching from behind Ren's chair as he flicks a few switches on the twinkling dashboard in front of them, “I can’t have my guest be bored while he stays here, can’t I? No. I need to keep you busy, keep you entertained as I play with our friends, keep you here as I show you how much they love me, Joker, more than you.”

“Is that it? Is that your whole plan?” Ren questioned, raising an eyebrow in perplexity, “Your plan failed before it could even begin, none of them have the Metanav app, and you can’t possibly drag them in like you did with me. I might die in my own distorted heart, but at least they’ll be safe from your grasp.”

“Is that so?” Joker hinted as he casually pointed at one of the screens, “Then explain that.” 

Ren follows Joker’s fingers, looking at the screen he’s pointing to. His throat tightens in dread as he sees his friends standing at the entrance of the theatre.

***

“Morgana, what’s gotten into you?!” Ann shouts for the cat, clambering the stairs behind Haru as the group pursues him, old wood creaking beneath her as she ascends after her friend, “You gotta tell us what’s gotten into you!”

“I’m sorry, Lady Ann.” Morgana apologises as he jumps on the abandoned makeshift bed he used to share with Ren, turning around in a swift motion, “But I needed you all up here first. I want to test something out.”

“Couldn’t you just have told us downstairs?” Haru questions him as the rest of the group made their way up the old, dusty wooden stairs, pouring out from the narrow space into the spacious room of the attic, “I would have been easier than to have rushed up here.”

“I know. But I needed a space in which we could all gather.” Morgana explains, seeing that Futaba was the last one to arrive, hugging her laptop, joining the others as they stood around to face him, “And I needed to make sure that no one can see us.”

“Why?” Ryuji asks nonchalantly, “I mean, Yongen-Jaya barely has anyone walking the streets at this time, Boss has the cafe closed just for us, and no one really cares about the Phantom Thieves anymore.”

“This is something different.” Morgana says to Ryuji, his face knitted in a serious expression, “It has something to do with the Nav. More specifically the keywords for Ren’s Palace.”

“The keywords?” it was Makoto’s turn to ask, “Have you figured out something about them?”

“Yeah.” Morgana nods, “It’s something to do with where Ren and I got pulled in. It might be a long shot but I need to know if it works.”

“Um okay…” Makoto replies, “What do you need to know about them, exactly?”

Morgana turns to Ryuji, looking at him expectantly, “You still have the Nav open on your phone?”

“I mean, yeah I do.” Ryuji informs him, unlocking his phone before tilting the screen upside down for Morgana to see that he still has the Nav ready, “But I thought we didn’t know where this ‘World’ place is?”

“We do.” Morgana says, the whole group taken aback by his suggestion, “Now, on my word Ryuji, begin the navigation to Ren’s Palace, you got that?”

“Whoa whoa whoa, wait!” Ryuji sputtered, Morgana giving in an expression of annoyance towards his hesitance, “Mona are you sure this is gonna work?”

“Of course it will!” Morgana shouts back, clearly getting more anxious and tense, no doubt the absence of Ren ebbing away at his patience, “And even if it didn’t, nothing bad will happen to us!”

“Morgana-senpai, please relax! I’m sure Ryuji’s just expressing his concern for our safety” Sumire appealed to him, trying to get the both of them to stop fighting, “I know I haven’t been on many missions unlike the rest of you, but I do agree with Ryuji only because the app feels really suspicious to me.”

“I agree.” Yusuke speaks up, his hands resting in a thoughtful position, “This is unlike anything we’ve encountered. The only thing I can liken this to is when we had to go after Maruki. However there is nothing out of the ordinary in the real world, and the application appearing seemingly just as Ren’s Palace formed can be interpreted as a cry for help from his subconscious.”

“A cry for help?” Ann said in surprise, “You mean his shadow is the one who sent the app to us? Then why was he trapped by his own Palace?”

“I have no concrete answers for that.” Yusuke hummed, continuing to think out loud, “I think that… If my interpretation is correct, and Ren is a prisoner of his own Palace, then regardless, I feel as though that Ryuji’s hesitance is quite appropriate.”

“Are you guys really going to hesitate now, after all we’ve discussed about last night?!” Morgana snaps, his voice squeaking from both frustration and desperation, “Ren’s in trouble! I want to save him, and I can bet that we can handle whatever his Palace throws at us!”

“Well, we can’t leave him there.” Ann says, twirling a finger in her hair impatiently, “If it’s really that dangerous, then it makes more sense to get him out ASAP. The more we argue, the more danger Ren’s in.”

“I agree. We can speculate all we want, but it won’t get us any closer to freeing Ren from his Palace.” Makoto sighs, “We need to take a leap of faith; for Ren’s sake.”

“Thank you, Makoto.” Morgana says, before turning his attention to Ryuji, “Now start the Nav, Ryuji. We don’t have all day.”

“Fine, fine.” Ryuji grumbles before tapping on the screen. A second later, all of them felt a sudden, almost sickening wave echo through their heads. Each of them instinctively closed their eyes until the once so familiar feeling passed. When it subsided they all opened their eyes, and found themselves in front of the sweeping steps that led to the same regal theatre Morgana talked of in front of them, surrounded by desolate, barren landscape. It was beautiful, a beacon against the drab landscape as it loomed above them, shadows dancing past the stained glass windows that decorated it, no doubt the patrons of Ren’s distorted heart.

“We arrived at the Palace?” Sumire says, curiously looking around them, a light frown curling the corners of her mouth from the severe distortion surrounding them, “But how, exactly?”

"Oh I get it now." Haru chimes, "It's just like Shakespeare's 'All the World's a stage' line. Ren must think that everywhere's a performance space of some kind."

"So 'The World' keyword in the Metanav refers to anywhere and everywhere." Makoto mutters sadly, hand on her chin in a thoughtful gesture "That's… extremely troubling."

“Hey Yusuke, why didn’t you think of that?” Ryuji asks the tall, blue haired man innocently, “Aren’t you studying the arts or something like that?”

“I am.” Yusuke responded, scowling in disappointment towards his faux blonde friend, “But my speciality is within the fine arts. Not theatre.”

“Um, guys.” Sumire interjects, looking worriedly towards the group, “I hate to interrupt your conversation but… We don’t have our Metaverse outfits on.”

“Hm? Oh yeah, that’s not really surprising.” Ryuji brushes off casually, “I mean, this is Ren we’re talking about. You can take it easy, Sumire.”

“Yeah,” Ann agrees with Ryuji, “I mean, Ren’s our friend, right? It’ll be odd for him to see us as a threat.”

“Come on you guys,” Morgana huffs impatiently, starting to climb up the stairs into the grand theatre, “Let’s go in, follow me!”

“I bet the fact that he knows he has a Palace also means he would more than likely anticipate us coming here to claim his treasure.” Makoto rationalises, placing a foot on one of the steps as she continues their conversation despite Morgana’s interjection, “He knows how we, as Phantom Thieves operate, and I feel our Metaverse outfits not appearing also has something to do with that.”

“Oh, okay.” Sumire nods in understanding, blushing in embarrassment for having asked such an obvious question. She bows, “I’m sorry for asking such an obvious question. This is the first time since Maruki’s Palace since I’ve joined in a Phantom Thief operation.”

“That is completely understandable.” Yusuke says as he starts to follow Makoto up the stairs, “We are more than happy to help you if you need it, Sumire. I’m sure we all recognise that relatively, you’re still new to our operus mondi.”

“Oh, thank you, Kitagawa-senpai.” Sumire smiles, starting to follow him up the stairs alongside Haru and Ryuji, “I feel much better knowing I can rely on you for assistance.”

“It’s my pleasure.” He smiles, “Now, let’s reunite with the others, shall we?”

“We shall!” she giggles, continuing to climb the steps.

Ann is the second last person to ascend the stairs, stopping in her tracks when she fails to spot Futaba among the group. Turning around, she sees Futaba standing at the foot of the steps, her head down as she hugged her laptop tighter near her torso. She looked sad; anxious; hesitant to follow them, electing instead to stay behind, almost scared of the building ahead of them

“Hey.” Ann mutters as she descends down to meet the girl, Futaba tilting her heads upwards to only just meet Ann’s gaze, “Are you okay, Futaba?”

“I… I dunno.” Futaba admits, sighing while she looked away from the older blond, “I mean… this is Ren’s Palace… I’m...”

She trails off. 

“You’re scared aren’t you?”

Futaba looks up at her, shocked. “Y-yeah, how did you know?”

“I’m scared too.” Ann admits, “Scared of what we’ll find in there. And I’m pretty sure the others are scared as well. But we’ve got each other. I know it’s really hard to not be scared; but Ren needs us more than ever, and we need to be brave in order to change his heart and save him from his Palace.”

“Yeah.” Futaba mutters, sulking at her own cowardice, swallowing down her anxious feelings as best she could, “You’re right, Ann. Sorry for acting like this, especially since I’m the one who thought of the idea to go into Ren’s Palace in the first place.” 

“Don’t worry about it!” Ann smiled, her joy and confidence feeling infectious as Futaba could not help but smile back, “Now come on, let’s go in, I bet the others will get worried if they notice we’re not with them.”

“Okay…” Futaba nods, climbing after Ann. Yet when Ann turns away her expression sinks again. Her eyebrows furrow, the feeling of anxiety coming back. She knew that they were all scared, terrified of what awaited them inside, terrified of what hidden thoughts and memories Ren had that rotted and twisted his heart. She climbed the stairs, repeating what Morgana had told her the night before as she approached the grand doors alongside Ann. But there was one detail. One question she realised she still has on her mind. One question she forgot to ask. Yet she now dared not ask it, afraid of jeopardizing the mission before it even properly began.

***

“Whoa holy shit!” Ryuji exclaimed, marvelling the interior of the theatre, the glittering gold accents catching his eye, twinkling invitingly as he entered the foyer, “This place is amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“I agree, it’s really hard to believe that this place is a Palace.” Haru marvels with Ryuji, instead looking at the elaborate stained glass windows that shined within the interior lights, “I can’t really put my finger on it but, it feels really pleasant to be inside.”

“I know what you mean.” Yusuke sighs, “It certainly feels welcoming. The decor here is immaculate and beautiful in the way that soothes my heart and itches my fingers, begging to be captured and preserved. Oh if only I brought my brush and paint with me today.”

“I agree with Yusuke.” Makoto nods, “But we need to keep our guard up. Though this is Ren’s Palace, we still aren’t sure exactly why his Palace appeared. While we’re still seen as not a threat, anything we do or say might trigger something that’ll turn the shadows against us. After all, Morgana was attacked by what we can assume were hostile shadows, there’s no knowing that will happen if we encounter one while we don’t have our powers available to us.” she reminded them.

“I agree, Niijima-san. Caution in a Palace that belongs to a powerful Persona user should be exercised, even if it belongs to Amamiya.”

A familiar voice belonging to no one in the group spoke to them, Makoto instinctively opened her mouth to answer. But the realisation hit her as she turned to her right, mouth agape with surprise as the others jaws dropped in shock, some covering their mouths in awe, all wide eyed, the same expression of surprise shared among them. 

"Is that....?" Ann dared to utter, having just arrived with Futaba, yet she saw the answer right before her.

His eyes stared back at them, recognisable red irises radiated within the room, the colour matching the velvet that generously decorated the foyer of the theatre. His brown hair, long and slightly unkempt hung straight on his head, a hand tucked within his brown winter coat, his other hand hung out by his side casually, gloved. He stood there in front of them, his weight shifted from one leg to another, him looking at Makoto, and the rest of the group, with an almost expectant expression.

It was Goro. He was alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a detailed comment and a kudos if you haven't already! Also don't forget to follow my tumblr @ hanaxsongs!


	3. The Empress Theatre Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me a month plus and 20k+ words LMAOOOOOOO. I’m trying a lot of things in this chapter, including writing a fight scene and taking feedback into account.
> 
> Special shout out to rui-the-galax-angel and digifangirl97 on tumblr for helping me with this!!!!

“Is that Goro-?”

“He’s alive!?”

Ren and Joker gasped as they both stared at the same monitor, stunned that the brown-haired detective was alive, disbelief in their expression as they mirrored each other: wide eyes, mouth hung agape, exhaling gentle yet purposed breaths. Both Ren and Joker blinked, Ren shifted in his seat to get a better look, Joker leaned on the console table as he looked closer at the projected image in front of them, seeing their Phantom Thieves going through their shared bewilderment. Neither of them made a sound.

“Is he a...?” Ren trailed off after a long silence, turning to ask his shadow who was observing the detective with careful eyes. Joker gently shook his head in response, an amused half-smile slowly appearing on his lips, barely making eye contact with Ren as he continued to stare at the screen in awe. Goro was here. The invitation he sent, the one he thought would be the only one which would fall on deaf ears, instead called his Crow back to him once more. Though he did not dare show it to Ren, he felt elated at the sight of his rival, alive, well, and scowling at his friends.

Yet this small joyous moment of his did not last. He felt himself suddenly getting tired as he spotted Ren’s eyes gleaming with newfound hope at the sight of Goro. Joker hid his sneer as he got up from his leaned position, standing up, gloved hands tucked back into his pockets. He hated that look of optimism in his other’s eyes, wanting to snuff it out right there and then, but he stopped himself. No; his plan would suffice enough to allow him to slowly crush that hope Ren held; and more, he reminded himself. He turned on his heel, walking out of the room. Ren noticed him leave; before he could utter a word his shadow had slammed the door shut to his prison, not bothering to lock the door as darkness all but swallowed him, the sounds of chorused chatter of the cognitive guests the only thing keeping him company.

Joker snapped his fingers as he continued his stride, an audible click echoed the room. Two shadows belonging to his twisted theatre erupted from the floor to join him as he reached for the door leading to the rest of the building pausing only for a moment to converse with the shadows followed obediently.

“Now, remember the script,” he ordered the both, impatience in his tone as he pulled the door open, wind rushing towards him, gently ruffling his messy hair and flapping his tailed coat. He turned to look over his shoulder, a golden eye glinting murderously at them as he wore a serious expression, “This needs to go perfectly. If you fail, I’ll make sure to kill you as painfully as possible, you understand?”

“Yes, boss.” they both replied in unison. Joker’s stern expression melted at their reply, now grinning wildly with anticipation, his heart starting to beat rapidly with a newfound thrill, blossoming into a crescendo, feeling the tips of his fingers beating with anticipation as he found himself drowning from the thumping of his own excitement. He turned to look down the bland hallway before him, eyes narrowing, vision sharp as he inhaled a deep, deep breath. On exhale he promptly stepped forwards, another he broke into a run, focusing only towards him, his vision tunnelling as he heard his lackey’s footsteps behind him.

“It’s showtime!” he thought to himself, laughing out loud with thrill as his performance commenced.

\---

"Akechi-senpai, you're alive!"

Goro heard Sumire before he saw her, the redheaded gymnast wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into a sudden, affectionate hug. He squirmed instinctively in her embrace, not used to displays of affection, and not used to ones that involve touch.

“Yoshizawa.” he growled, hoping that his unamused tone would give her the hint he needed to attain freedom from her grip, yet she did not loosen her grip around him, “Get. Off.”

“Oh, sorry,” Sumire mutters as she lets Goro go, hiding her hands behind her back as she looks away from him. Her face flushed slightly red, obviously embarrassed by the impulsive hug she had given him.

“I’m so sorry, Akechi-senpai.” she apologizes, moving her hands to her side as she gave him a formal bow, “I’m so sorry. I was just happy to see you.”

“Yo Akechi, is that really you?” Ryuji inquired, looking at him sceptically as he places his hands casually on his hips, “Or are you just a cognition?”

“I can assure you that I’m no such thing.” Akechi said, closing his eyes as his face contorted to an expression of great offense, “To think of me being here as nothing more than a figment of Amamiya’s cognition...”

“If you’re not cognition, then why are you here?” Ann said, her and Futaba now with the rest of the group, staring at him suspiciously, “Are you trying to kill Ren again?”

“More importantly, if you are indeed alive, then what have you been doing all this time?” Yusuke inquires, stepping towards the former detective, Goro looking at them, unamused.

“I do not have to answer the latter question, nor do I want to.” Goro said, clearly annoyed by Yusuke’s prying question, “As for answering Takamaki’s question: I’m simply here for curiosity’s sake.”

“You mean you have the app as well?” Makoto asks. Goro’s head snaps towards her, his eyes widening in astonishment, “With the strange notification, correct?”

“So, you’ve gotten it too?” Goro queried rhetorically, yet all of them answered with a single nod. He pursed his lips, furrowing his brows in thought as he looked down at the carpeted floor, “It makes sense for you all to be here. But why-”

“Hey, where’s Mona?” Futaba whispered, poking her head from behind the rest of the group as Goro continued to mutter to himself, “I don’t see him anywhere.”

“Mona?” Haru said, perplexed by Futaba’s question, yet a second later she realised that the feline was nowhere within the group, “Wait, has anyone seen Morgana? I thought he was with us?”

“I dunno, I was with Futaba the whole time.” Ann said, looking at both the faux blonde and the fluffy-haired girl, “I mean, I thought he was with you guys. You did go up before us after all.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t see him, he must have run off somewhere.” Ryuji sighed, reflexively kicking the floor in frustration and disappointment, “That cat’s always runnin’ off somewhere. I guess we should find him before he runs into trouble again.”

"I think I saw Morgana-senpai run that way." Sumire said, pointing to where the cognitions were congregating, no doubt to head to the numerous auditoriums that were located within the Palace, "I didn’t see clearly though, he ran by me so fast."

"It's as good of a lead as any," Makoto said, ignoring Ryuji's string of curses towards their missing teammate. She walked a couple of steps, all the other thieves following her casually, but noticed Goro still in contemplative thought, one his hands cupped his chin while another held his phone.

"Akechi, aren't you coming with us?"

Goro looked up, red eyes gazing into her own.

"Me?"

"Yeah, him?" Ryuji asked in earnest, which resulted in him getting elbowed sharply in the chest by Ann, "Hey, what was that for!?"

“You can’t say stuff like that in front of people!” Ann exclaimed, annoyed by Ryuji’s boldness towards Goro, eyebrows crossed in an angry expression, “Besides, we have no idea what’s in this place. I don’t like the idea too, but we have strength in numbers, and we can keep an eye on him if he tries to do something to Ren.”

“Thank you, Takamaki, but I’ll be fine on my own.” Goro said, resisting the urge to grimace at Ryuji and Ann’s words (though he was not surprised in the slightest in the fact that they did not trust him), “I’ve had more than enough experience in combat to take care of myself. That, and we’re obviously not considered as threats. I doubt that whatever’s happening to your leader, will in turn put any of us in immediate danger.”

“Still, it’s still an awful thought for you to get left behind.” Haru said, although she did not sound too eager with the prospect of Goro coming along to find their furry friend, “Even if it’s you...”

“As I said-”

“Please, Goro-senpai?” Sumire pleads, giving Goro the biggest puppy-eyes she could muster as he turned to look at her, her bottom lip quivering, trying to evoke sympathy from within the detective, “Please? We haven’t seen you for a long time, and I know you really want to come with us...”

Goro looks at Sumire, his expression firm and unreadable, his gaze piercing, yet the girl continues to pout. The rest of the group looked at each other, not knowing how to break the tension between the two of them, waiting for either Sumire to succeed in her attempt to convince Goro, or for Goro to win in his efforts to further distance himself from the group.

The victor was decided when Goro broke his gaze, sighing deeply in defeat while Sumire smiled and cheered in triumph.

“Thank you, senpai!” Sumire grins, going in for another hug, only to be stopped by Goro’s hesitant scowl.

“I’m doing this only for you, Yoshizawa.” Goro muttered under his breath, though he can’t help but smile a bit when he saw her growth in confidence over the last year and a half. He turned to look at Makoto, “Lead the way, Queen.”

“With pleasure.” Makoto huffed, trying not to get worked up by his use of her codename, seemingly brushing it off as she resumed her pace towards the inner area of the foyer.

It did not take the group long for them to spot Morgana. He stood still as cognitions passed by, some of them muttering happily as they noticed the feline gazing upon something. A few steps more passed the crowd of cognitive people did they find what he was looking at.

“Is that?” Ann gasps, looking upon the fountain statue of Joker. The glint of the gold that accented its mask and buttons and eyes sent a shiver down her spine, its grin, smug and sinister, unsettled her, and she dare not make eye contact with the gaudy decoration. The others shared her uncomfortable reaction, a loss for words as to why such a decoration would be displayed all to see. They knew Ren, knew how he acted, knew the confidence he held in himself, yet did not associate him with the apparent narcissism they were currently gazing upon.

Morgana’s ears twitched, sensing the others as they approached behind him, turning to greet them with a sombre expression as he stood in front of the fountain.

“I think this was where Ren was caught.” Morgana informed the group, yet no one in the group found any comfort with this information, “I saw some commotion around here until I got thrown out by those shadows.”

“Where could they have taken him?” Haru asks, yet she knew Morgana’s answer, “Could he possibly be somewhere deeper in the Palace?”

“He has to be.” Morgana said, turning to look up towards the top of the twin stairwells, “I don’t know how to explain it, but I can feel him somewhere up there, calling for us.”

“Futaba, can you check if that’s the case?” Makoto asks the girl. Futaba snaps back into attention, the fountain statue previously lulling her into a trance. She looks at Makoto with a dazed expression, blinking several times as she tries to grasp what she had said to her.

“Sorry? I didn’t catch that, Queen.” she confesses, Makoto sighs.

“Can you confirm that Ren’s somewhere in his Palace?” Makoto again asks her, though she could not help but send a sympathetic expression towards the girl. The man that had helped her free herself from the shackles of her distortions was now trapped from his own, and admittedly, none of the thieves have yet fully come to terms with the formation of Ren’s Palace.

“Oh yeah, why didn’t I think about that,” Futaba said, abruptly squatting down as she puts her laptop on the carpeted floor. She opened it, her device flicking to life, and started to type rapidly on it, focused on her task, “It’s gonna take a while for me to find him.” she informed the rest of the group, raising her voice slightly to be heard above the chatter of the cognitions around her, “Though I can tap into the Palace to get a look at the place, I can’t exactly pinpoint him with ease without my Persona.”

“That’s alright.” Makoto said, “We can work on finding him once we get a rough idea as to where he’s located.”

“Hey Yusuke, you’ve been really quiet since we’ve entered the Palace.” Haru said, looking at the blue-haired artist with concern "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh. I am, thank you for your concern, Haru." Yusuke smiles, "I'm sorry if I caused any worry, I was simply marvelling the architecture of the Palace. It's simply beautiful"

"But isn't that weird? I mean this is Ren's Palace after all." she said with concern, a hand pulling back a strand of her hair as she continued, "I mean, it's nice here but, I don't really see how it could be considered 'beautiful'."

"That's okay, I understand completely that finding an aspect of Ren's distortions 'beautiful' is less than savoury; however, I do marvel at the detailing of the architecture especially. It certainly has a lot of Western influences. Definitely matches his more Western interpretation of a rebel."

"Like the 'Gentlemen Thief' persona huh?" Haru mutters, "That makes sense. After all, Arsene does wear a top hat."

"Precisely." Yusuke said, "Details like that do put a smile on my face."

"Well, I guess you can say-"

The screams of cognitions from the floor above interrupts their conversation, all the thieves snapping their heads to see the guests fleeing from above, down the twin stairs in a desperate panic in order to run from an unseen danger. Blue flames suddenly erupted from each of the members, exposed skin and fabric alike replaced with their iconic thief outfits, another flash across their eyes placed their masks as their forgotten powers and Personas electrified their veins.

“Shit!” Ryuji exclaimed in surprise at the sudden eruption, tightly gripping his mallet, already anticipating a fight. The rest of the thieves sans Goro immediately sprung into a fighting stance, readying their weapons as they grouped together, prepared for whatever was causing the commotion upstairs. The only not in the front lines was Futaba, who was hoisted to safety by her Persona Al Azif, hovering above the group as she prepared to support them.

“It seems we were finally acknowledged,” Goro grumbles, yet he could not help but smirk at the idea of taking down the enemy approaching them. He unsheathed the serrated sword he used while in the Metaverse from his side, feeling the familiar echo of Hereward in his mind as the mask he adorned gleamed slickly in the light, “Finally. I was getting on edge with how the atmosphere was.”

“Oracle, what are you seeing?” Makoto asked the girl, already springing quite comfortably into the lead role as Futaba typed rapidly across the different screens surrounding her from within her Persona, “Are there any dangerous shadows heading in our way?”

“Two of them. They’re pretty strong, but nothing we can’t handle.” Futaba informs Makoto, still tying away across her screens, her eyes flickering rapidly from one window to another, “They seem to be chasing something. Another shadow. A powerful one at that!”

“Why would they be chasing one of their own?” Yusuke muses as he readies his katana, his gloved hand resting delicately on the decorative hilt, “Unless-”

Two gunshots rang in the air, followed by the screams of the shadows, a blur of black and red suddenly appearing, sliding down rapidly from the polished stair rails while being pursued by two shadow guards, their head turned back as to keep an eye on their pursuers, yet they could see a smirk on their lips. Before the Phantom Thieves could realise who, the shadows were chasing, the figure turned towards them.

The gold and black mask. The red waistcoat. It was Ren’s shadow. He looked just like the fountain statue nestled between the twin stairs of the foyer. He landed in front of them with practised, familiar poise, turning around towards the shadows, gritting his teeth as he readied a knife the thieves found familiar.

“There’s the fugitive!” one of the shadow’s yelled, pointing to the golden-eyed thief as another indistinguishable shadow joined its side, “Help me snag him! The boss’ll have our heads if we keep lettin’ him run free around this place.”

“Ren-”

“Call me Joker, Queen.” he interrupts Makoto, turning back his head to give her a signature wink before turning back towards his assailants, the two shedding their suits to reveal a Dionysus, Titania and Oberon, all ready to attack, “I know you all have questions right now. I’ll explain later, but first you have to help me with taking these guys out.”

Makoto nods at Joker, agreeing with his commands as she readies her mask. The shadows jumped towards Joker, the Dionysus charging with electricity, static climbing across his multicoloured arm.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Morgana shouts, lunging forward towards the shadow as he summons his Persona, “It’s payback time! Diego, Miracle Rush!”

The Persona erupts from behind the cat, a strong, dashing, masked man with a comically tall moustache and long black cape appeared surrounded by blue flames. A single swish of his sword was enough to summon multiple golden boxing gloves supported by springs that aimed at the shadows. They reeled in back, and then suddenly sprang into action, punching the Dionysus square in the jaw and knocking it off its feet, but unfortunately missing the other two shadows in its company.

“Nice shot, Mona.” Ryuji compliments the cat as he rushes forward, assisting the feline with his enemy, readying the large mallet on his side, “But you missed the other two, might want to work on your aim.”

“I’m rusty-!” Morgana squeaks, looking at his friend with an offended expression as Ryuji brought the mallet down on the shadow, sending it straight down onto the floor, “What about you huh, you’re gonna just let the shadow get up?”

“Huh, you got a point.” Ryuji said, and went on to summon his Persona, dramatically gripping his hand onto his metallic mask, “Alright, William! Give this guy a hand. A God’s Hand to be exact!”

As soon as he did so the mask burst dramatically into the same blue flames, licking harmlessly on Ryuji’s face, rising to conjure a figure beside him. His Persona, dressed in a black and white hood, a skeletal face with its eyes behind red goggles rode atop a yacht triumphantly, conjured a fist out of nowhere, propelled by what looked like a rocket, dancing circles above its target’s head before slamming right down on top of it, injuring the shadow further.

“Skull, that was terrible.” Morgana sighs, frowning at his friend’s pun as he readies his cutlass to strike the incapacitated shadow

“Aww don’t be such a moaner, Mona.” Ryuji chuckles, Morgana ignoring the blonde as he strikes the shadow, “I’m just havin’ fun!”

“Skull, I know these shadows are nothing but total squishies, but you still gotta be careful.” Futaba buzzes through their ears, Al Azif hovering away a safe distance from the battlefield, “We can make terrible puns AFTER we’ve dealt with these shadows.”

“Hey, my puns are not-”

He did not see Morgana dodge Dionysus's attack, only hearing the electricity from its Ziodyne attack before it was too late. His head turned at the sound of the wild crackle of electricity heading towards him. His eyes widened as the bolt connected, a section of the bolt diverged and struck the carpeted floor, causing him to be engulfed into a cloud of dust and smoke.

“Skull!” both Futaba and Morgana exclaimed, calling out for their friend in a panic. Morgana summons his Persona, commanding Diego to blow away the cloud of smoke that obstructed their view of Ryuji with a quick Garudyne, only to find him completely unharmed.

“I’m okay!” Ryuji yells out, waving out to them to attract their attention, “Barely even touched me, you on the other hand.” he said as he almost sneered towards Morgana.

“Hey guys, you can fight all you want later, right now you’ve got a shadow to toast.” Futaba hisses at the two, reminding them of their situation as Dionysus charges for another attack, “Another Ziodyne coming towards your six!”

Both Ryuji and Morgana exchange brief sour expressions towards one another, before shifting their focus towards the enemy before them.  
\---  
The Oberon thrusts its sword forward towards Joker, the boy sidestepping each time it swipes towards him, golden eyes carefully observing his opponent as another swipe of the shadow’s sword barely misses him. Makoto readies into position, resting her hand on her mask as she instinctively climbs on the Persona that appeared beneath her.

“Agnes, hit it with an Atomic Flare!” she said to her Persona, and Agnes complied, a ball of blue aura appeared in front of the attacking shadow, growing before independently detonating in the shadow’s face. However, the Oberon dodged it with ease, escaping the otherwise effective attack.

“Dammit!” she whispered harshly under her breath as Ann went in to strike the Oberon, uncoiling her whip as she swung it, a sharp ‘thwack’ echoed as she struck the Oberon on the face.

“How dare you strike me!” the shadow hissed, swinging its sword towards her only to be stopped by Joker’s dagger. The weapons clashed. And they clashed again, Joker slowly driving the attacking shadow back as Makoto readies another attack.

“Agnes, Atomic Flare!” Makoto commanded her Persona again, the same blue orb appearing to engulf the Oberon, but the attack yet again missed as the Oberon evaded it.

“Queen, got any ideas to stop this shadow from moving so much?” Ann hisses as she ducks a swipe from Oberon’s sword, “We could really use some help right now!”

“Maybe slowing it down would help?” Joker said out loud before parrying multiple slashes of the shadow’s sword with his gun and knife, “I don’t have any ice skills on me. Maybe we should call over-”

“We don’t need Fox. I have an idea, just follow what I say!” Makoto instructed her teammates, Joker and Ann both nodded at her with acknowledgement as they continued to dodge the wild attacks of the shadow.

“Joker, aim your shots at its wings!” Makoto instructed Joker. He raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

“Panther, get ready to cast Agidyne on the Oberon!” Makoto yells towards Ann, who nodded in acknowledgement, her gloved hand resting on her mask as she readies herself.

A shot from Joker’s gun rang out, and another, and another. two of the three bullets managing to tear through the thin membrane of the shadow’s left wing, the shadow howling in pain. Joker aimed carefully; a single bullet left in the magazine of his gun. He looked down at the sight of his pistol. He aimed at the Oberon, who was hovering in the air, wobbling back and forth in pain from its injury. He squeezed the trigger.

Bang!

The last bullet tore through the shadow’s wing. The Oberon cried in pain as it floated down, its injuries too great to keep itself airborne.

“Now Panther!” Makoto shouted. With a quick shout of her Persona’s name, Ann summons Célestine behind her, the avatar of her heart standing tall, nonchalantly blowing a piece of gum as the overhead light reflects from her glasses.

“Agidyne!” Ann ordered her Persona, and Célestine lifted her hand towards the crippled shadow. Heat gathered beneath it, and before it could react, a tower of fire erupted from the fire, consuming the shadow, leaving it with embers still singeing its skin.

\---

“Ella, use Kougaon!” Sumire said to the bride like Persona behind her, Ella responded by summoning a pillar of white light to strike Titania, the shadow grunting in pain as she took the attack. Yusuke followed up with a swipe from his sword, yet the fairy-like shadow managed to dodge him with ease.

“Psiodyne!” Haru shouted, her Persona, Lucy, towered behind her, one hand holding an elegant looking briefcase while another one held its masquerade like glasses in front of where its face would be, summoned forward pink swirling circles with colours accenting them towards the shadow. Titania managed to evade her attack, retaliating with its own spell as it casts Freidyne.

“Noir, watch out!” Sumire shouted after her, Haru trying her best to escape from the Nuclear-based elemental attack, yet the blue ball persistently followed wherever she went. It was Yusuke who had saved her, pushing her out of the way just as the nuclear ball exploded, taking the brunt of the attack. He grunted audibly, Haru’s eyes widening in alarm.

“Yusuke are you okay?” she asked the artist. Yusuke responded with a smile, standing from his previously hunched position.

“I’m fine,” he reassured her, “the damage I received was less than anticipated.”

“But you still took damage, are you sure you’re-”

“We haven’t the time to worry about injuries!” Goro hissed at the both as he spots the hands of the Titania glow green. He sprints forward, his sword held by his left hand as his right clasps his mask. He cries out wildly for Hereward, and the black, bow-wielding Persona erupted behind him, an arrow pulled back as it readies for Goro’s command.

“Hereward, Laevateinn!” he commanded his Persona, Hereward complying as it lets go of the strung arrow. A sword descended onto the Titania, a lucky strike by Goro as it tumbled down onto the ground, its healing spell interrupted.

“Regroup, everyone!” Futaba instructed the Phantom Thieves, all of them listening to their navigator as they jumped back into a defensive position, their various ranged weapons all pointed towards the downed shadows.

“W-wait!” The Oberon shrieks as the embers on its body continue to injure it, “Please, don’t kill us!”

“Yes, please, we were just following orders!” Titania said, whimpering on the floor, her hands curled on the carpeted floor.

“Yeah right!” Ryuji said, cocking the barrel of his shotgun, aiming his sights towards the wounded fairy, “Orders from who? Certainly not our friend Joker here, you practically attacked him!”

“Well… He-”

“Alright, I’ve had enough of them.” Morgana said, clearly annoyed by the situation as he held his slingshot ready, “Everyone, it’s All-Out Attack time!”

Before the shadows could utter another word all the thieves pounced towards them, weapons out and ready. Each thief took turns slashing at the enemies, a flurry of attacks as the sound of weapons echoed throughout the hall. Joker dealt the last swipe, a clean cut through the three of the shadows, before he flipped backwards, away from them.

A second passed, and soon a black ooze erupted from each of the three shadows before their bodies evaporated into thin air.

Joker scanned the rest of the foyer, readying his weapon as the others put away theirs, his back towards them, senses still alert as adrenaline still flowed through his veins. Al Azif descends slightly down towards the floor before allowing Futaba to gracefully float down to join the rest of her friends before dissipating, blue flames gently caressed her face as her Persona became her mask. They stared at Joker, watching him anticipate yet another attack. No additional shadows came, and he stood up, his shoulders relaxing, and he tucked away his weapons before he turned to face them, golden eyes staring at them. He smiles gently at them.

“Hello, everyone.” he greets.

“Ren… is that-”

“Ren!” Morgana cried out, interrupting Ann as he rushed towards him, arms wide to embrace him with open arms. Before the masked thief could properly react to Morgana, the bipedal feline jumped, and Joker caught him instinctively.

“Ren! Ren, I was soooooo worried!” Morgana said as he hugged Joker, burying his face affectionately in his chest. Joker returned Morgana’s hug, petting the feline with his free hand as Morgana purred audibly, “I’m sorry for interrupting you Lady Ann!” he continued to shout, trying to sound apologetic despite his joyful tone conveying otherwise, “But I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“But isn’t that senpai’s shadow?” Sumire points out, her expression guilty as she feels as though her observation had spoiled the moment between the two, “I’m sorry for being so rude, but we shouldn’t trust him-”

“Yoshizawa’s right.” Goro agrees with her, eyeing Joker carefully beneath the red filters of his mask, “Like it or not this is not the Amamiya you know and love, but an ugly, distorted version of him.”

“Am I really that-” Joker started, reflexively responding to the comment with an air of jest, yet when his shining, golden eyes met Goro’s hauntingly red ones he stopped himself, mouth still open, hanging agape. Silence fell between the two, Goro looking at Joker closely, his face expressionless, eyes narrowed in contemplation and suspicion as Joker looked at him with stunned disbelief.

“Crow, you’re-”

“Alive? Yes, I am.” Goro said, not taking his eyes off the shadow, “And you’re a shadow. Now, tell us where Ren is so we can get on our way, thank you.”

“He’s still Ren, even if he’s his shadow.” Ann huffs, her tone of voice clearly irritated by Goro’s total rejection of Joker, walking up to the shadow’s side, “Besides. Him helping us still means that Ren’s not only here, but his shadow can help us rescue him, right?”

“Yes, you’re right, Panther,” Joker nods, “I’ll be more than happy to help, and please, call me Joker.”

“Why? Do you prefer to be called that? I’m so sorry if I-”

“It’s okay, Panther.” he smiles reassuringly, touched by Ann’s kindness in accommodating his request so readily, “And yes. Though I am his shadow and should share his name, I am more comfortable with using Joker.”

“Note taken, now come here, Joker!” she exclaimed, running to join in with Morgana’s hug, wrapping her arms around his neck in affection, “Even if you’re Ren’s shadow, we’re still so glad to see you!”

“Yeah, we were so worried when we saw you had a Palace,” Ryuji said, walking to rest a comforting hand on Joker’s shoulder, “So it’s good to see you here and well buddy, and we’ll deffo help in stealing your treasure and easing your distorted heart.”

“And I’m glad to see you, Skull.” Joker smiles at his long-time friend, “If there’s anyone who can help me get rid of the distortions of my heart, it’ll be you.”

“I am happy to be here.” Yusuke smiles, walking up to stand next to Joker, the close proximity he stood next to his friend’s shadow enough to ease his heart, “Though it is unfortunate that you… our friend… have a Palace, we are honoured to be here if only to untangle the distortions that have brought this theatre in the first place.”

“And it’s nice to see you too, Fox.” Joker laughed, clearly amused by how flowery Yusuke’s language was.

“Joker!” Futaba yells, running towards him and wrapping her arms around his torso from his side, “Joker you’re okay! You’re really okay!”

“Well, ‘okay’ is putting Joker’s situation quite mildly,” Haru laughs as she joins the thieves in greeting their leader’s doppelganger, “But I have to agree with everyone, seeing you here with us, even if this is your Palace. ”

“Does the idea of me having a Palace really make you uncomfortable, Haru?” Joker asks her, eyebrows knitted as he looks at her with concern, “You can always leave if you’d like, Noir. I won’t judge you; it must be hard considering...”

“Yes, it does.” Haru answers for him, yet the spark of resolve she had in her eyes did not flicker as she looked in his golden ones, “But I promised only the others, but also myself, to be strong for you, and to help you in any way I can in getting rid of your distortions.”

Joker smiled at her, touched by her kind words.

“Thank you, Noir, I’ll be counting on you then.”

“She’s not the only one you can count on.” Makoto said, as she walked towards him, “I don’t think it’s far-fetched to assume that all of us here are more than willing to lend you their assistance should you need it, Joker. We are here to help heal your distorted heart, after all.”

“But what if I just want a kiss from my advisor.” Joker cooed at her. A blush slightly reddened Makoto’s face as she coughed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear as she cleared her throat.

“I’m sure, I can accommodate that request of yours,” she said confidently, yet the blush on her cheeks grew a deeper red. She leaned in, gently caressing his free shoulder, and gave him a peck on the cheek, Joker grinning delightfully as his golden eyes twinkled brightly with joy.

“A peck on the cheek is all I get?” he said, mockingly pouting at her, “But I thought you were here to ease my distorted heart.”

“We can kiss more when we steal your treasure; besides, the others are...” Makoto trails off, the mention of the other thieves reddens her face more in embarrassment, Joker giving her a toothy smile, only deepening the flush on her face.

“Okay, if you insist, my Queen. I’ll hold you to that promise.”

Someone audibly clears their throat. Joker looks past the group of friends that surrounded him to see Sumire standing in the middle of the foyer, her body tense, her legs straight, the girl grabbing her arms as she looks down on the floor with a saddened expression. He lightly shook his shoulders, his friends stepped away from him, Joker put down Morgana, and he walked towards her.

He stopped in front of her, not speaking a word, looking at her sympathetically yet allowed Sumire to converse with him when she was willing to.

“I’m sorry, for doubting you, Senpai.” she apologised, stepping back from her previous spot as she gave him a formal bow.

“Violet, you have nothing to be sorry about.” Joker smiles at her, slightly amused by her formality towards him, “In all honesty, you all have the excuse of being wary of me. Most of the shadows we’ve encountered were pretty hostile after all.”

“Like mine.” Futaba mutters to herself.

“But there are kind shadows, right? Shadows who just want help from us to steal their treasure, to return to normal. They exist, do they?”

“Yes.” Joker laughs, and Sumire couldn’t help but smile herself.

“Then…” she trails off, before throwing herself towards Joker, arms wide, Joker catching her with ease as she hugged him with all her strength.

“Violet, you’re hurting me.” Joker wheezed as Sumire squeezed her arms around him, and Sumire freed him from her embrace, apologising profusely.

“Oh, by the way,” Futaba said to the group, “While you guys were fighting, I picked up a signal that’s unusual to what you normally find in the Metaverse. I think it’s Ren.”

“You found where Ren’s being held?” Haru inquired the navigator, Futaba, shaking her head.

“Probably.” Futaba said, a frown on her face, pulling out a general map of the Palace to the rest of the group, a green blip pulsating on what looked to be the top of the cognitive building, “This is the signal that I found. It’s unusual for sure, the signal unlike any shadow or cognition we’ve ever encountered, and certainly not the treasure-”

“Oh right, the treasure!” Ryuji exclaims, interrupting Futaba, who reacted with an annoyed expression. “You got anything about the treasure, Futaba?”

“Remember, codenames, Skull.” Futaba warned her teammate, “And as for the treasure....”

She trails off. The others stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

“Oracle?” Makoto said, walking slowly towards her, “Oracle, you okay?”

“...Um…”

“There’s no treasure, is there?” Goro interrupted. All the thieves snap their heads to look at him, shock and disbelief on their faces except for Futaba, Joker and Goro, “At least, the treasure has yet not materialised.”

“Wait, no treasure, are you crazy!?” Ann stammered, clearly uncomfortable and confused by this revelation.

“Yeah, every Palace we’ve encountered has a treasure!” Ryuji said hysterically, “What do you mean this Palace ‘doesn’t have a treasure’!?”

“I……. I…...I….”

“...I think we should discuss this somewhere else.” Joker informed the others, stepping in to protect Futaba from the bewildered Phantom Thieves, “I know a safe place. Follow me.”

  
\---

  
The shadow led his friends up to the above floor via one of the twin stairs, cognitive guests staring at them as they followed Joker up, whispering amongst each other with excitement and curiosity, yet Joker paid them no mind as the rest of the thieves could only try to ignore their presence.

They arrived on the first floor, the foyer one decorated differently compared to the entrance below. Soft lilac replaced the colour red on the carpets and curtains, pristine, white marble replaced where gold would be, shapes of different flora carved in the stone, accented by gold paint which glittered under the bright light from the chandeliers above. There stood four doors around the foyer that lead to what the thieves assumed to be separate auditoriums: two of them closed with golden number plaques next to them; the third one, sealed behind two tall doors, had the words ‘The Empress Theatre’ titled atop of them.

Joker gestured to a large booth, one of many that occupied the room along the walls, a white curtain made of linen used to give the privacy the thieves needed to discuss their plans, hiding them from curious eyes.

“After you.” he said, smiling as he held the curtain open. Futaba was the first one to go in, diving onto the seat before sliding inwards to allow Haru to follow her in. One by one they went into the booth, Morgana having to be picked up by Ann, not tall enough to reach for the seat, and sat on her lap as his head rested just above the small table in front of them.

“I’d rather not.” Goro said, the only still standing other than Joker, crossing his arms as he looked towards the booth with scorn.

“Why not?” Joker asks, tilting his head as he looks at the reluctant detective, “Don’t you trust me, Goro?”

“Do not call me that.” Goro snapped, and Joker flinched visibly, “And to answer your question: I don’t. I don’t trust you at all.”

“Akechi-senpai, it’s okay.” Sumire said, immediately going into Joker’s defence as she pokes her head out from where she was sitting, “He helped us, remember? I’m sure Joker-senpai would never hurt us. I mean… I trust him, and I think everyone does as well, and they have way more experience than I do.”

“Yeah, Akechi,” Ryuji said, also coming to Joker’s defence, “And this is Ren we’re talking about. I mean, sure it’s his shadow but isn’t like the shadow the something true self or something?”

The others nodded in agreement, Goro looking away, a cross expression on his face. There was a small amount of movement that caught the corner of his eye, and he looked up to see Joker himself sliding into the booth to join his friends.

“You can have the end spot if it makes you comfortable.” Joker smiled at Goro, and while he did not want to admit it, he was feeling slightly fatigued from the earlier fight. He took a moment of hesitation, staring at the spot next to Joker, and sighed before he complied with the shadow’s request.

“Now that we’re all here,” Makoto said, her eyes scanning the group as she spoke, “We need to discuss-”

“Can someone please pull the curtain,” Morgana said, an expression of disappointment on his face, “We’re not exactly in a safe room you know, have you guys forgotten everything I’ve taught you!?”

“I can do it if only I wasn’t stuck here.” Yusuke offered, gesturing to both Haru and Ryuji of either side of him. The thieves lightly bickered amongst each other; one person would offer to close the curtain if the other person moved, which would cause the other person to gesture to the person next to them. This cycle, absurd and tedious as it was, repeated until all eyes landed on Goro.

“Hm, you’re asking me to close the curtain?” Goro said, not bothering to hide his unamused expression towards the Phantom Thieves.

“Well Crow, you’re the only one who can actually get out of here.” Futaba points out, gesturing to the column piece that obstructed her path to freedom, “And everyone can’t exactly move out easily as well. You gotta do it bird brain.”

“Bird brain?!” Goro scoffs in both surprise and offence. He growled in anger, trying very hard not to retaliate at the girl sitting across him. He sighed, muttering ‘fine’ as he slid out of his seat, reaching for the curtain and gently pulling it across until it hid the group from view before sitting back down again.

“Okay… so now that’s out of the way, we need to discuss several things that are imperative to ensure this infiltration is successful,” Makoto said, addressing the group around her, “First of, we need to discuss who will lead the infiltration, seeing as Ren isn’t here.”

She turns to look at Joker.

“Can you lead us?” Makoto asks, Joker replies by shaking his head.

“I don’t think that’s appropriate,” he admits, Makoto giving him a confused look, “I’m a shadow. The shadow of Ren. While I do know the ins and outs of the Palace, I fear that if I were to lead you it’ll compromise the mission in some way. In addition, I think it’s best for you guys if you could plan strategies somewhere out of the Metaverse.”  
“That is true.” Makoto nods, “But if you’re not going to lead us then, who will?”

Joker simply smiles at Makoto. Her eyes widened, the deep blush on her cheeks from earlier flushed her cheeks.

“Y-you want me to lead?!” she stammers, Joker nodding in response, and Makoto swore she would have fainted right there and then.

“Of course.” Joker said, “Everyone trusts you, and you yourself have the necessary leadership skills. There’s no one who I trust more.”

Makoto laughs, Morgana exclaims with a ‘hey!’ at Joker as Ryuji rolls his eyes at what he’s witnessing before him.

“Geeze get a room you guys.” he groaned, yet there was no malice in his tone as Ann and Sumire snicker at his comment.

“If Makoto’s our leader, then it would be appropriate to elect ourselves someone to replace her in the advisory role.” Haru said, “I was thinking about Mona being our advisor since he’s more experienced than all of us when it comes to Metaverse stuff.”

“Well, I am knowledgeable with the Metaverse itself.” Morgana said smugly, crossing his arms as he holds his head out proudly, “And I did teach you all how to be the best thieves possible. Sure, I’ll gladly take on the advisory role.”

Goro rolled his eyes in annoyance, Joker noticed him do so, and he smiled in amusement.

“Great, now that’s out of the way, we need to now discuss our course of action in regard to our infiltration: how we will conduct it, where Ren is, why there is no treasure being detected, and if it does apply, when we need to invoke a change of heart.”

She turned to look at Joker, the shadow nodded in acknowledgement.

“As you all know, Ren’s been kidnapped by the shadows of this place.” Joker said, his gaze cast to everyone except Goro who sat right next to him, “He’s being held in the uppermost auditorium of the Palace: The Fool’s Theatre.”

“The Fool’s Theatre? I don’t like the sound of that.” Ann mumbled under her breath, a look of concern on her face.

“Why is it called the Fool’s Theatre?” Sumire queried Joker, her eyes glittering in perplexity. Joker shrugged; his expression confessed uncertainty.

“I don’t know.” he said, “But what I do know he’s kept there. I honestly think they caught him, thinking they were me. Apparently, I’m a nuisance in my own Palace, which is quite absurd if you think about it.”

“Then we should go there now.” Ryuji said, “You know, bust him out and stuff if it’s just at the top floor, no problem!”

“I’m afraid it’s not that easy.” Joker frowned at the blonde, wincing as he saw Ryuji’s enthusiasm falter a bit, “The doors to the auditorium itself are locked by special keys which are held by what they called the ‘Lead Actors’ that reside in special auditoriums. I would have entered the Fool’s Theatre myself, but it’s the only room which I can't even access.”

“And who are these, ‘Lead Actors’?” Goro asked the shadow, “What do they look like? And where are they located?”

“I… haven’t seen any of them, so I don’t even know what they look like.” Joker confessed to the group hesitantly, “But I’ve heard they reside in the auditoriums like that one-”

He gestures to the Empress Theatre on the floor.

“-and they seem to only open their doors to patrons who meet two special conditions.”

“How do you know this?”

Joker turns to Goro and smiles at him.

“Goro, I’m a thief, sneaking about and eavesdropping is what I do best!” he said. Goro only narrows his eyes slightly in response.

“And what are the two conditions, exactly?” Makoto inquired.

“The first condition-” he started as he turned to Makoto, “-is to watch the performances on each of the floors. For example, I heard that in order to gain permission to even get within the Empress Theatre, you must present a ticket with punch holes showing you’ve watched the two performances located within numbered halls.”

“Well, that’s easy enough,” Ryuji said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his legs, Makoto ignoring them as Joker continued his explanation.

“The second condition is to enter the auditorium with the person who matches the Lead Actor.”

“Matches the lead actor?” Ann said, looking at Joker with confusion, “What does that even mean? And how are we gonna get in if we’ve never seen the actor before?”

“I suggest we concentrate on the theatre watching first,” Morgana said, crossing his arms, easily slipping into the advisory role he’s been assigned. He turned to Joker, “Joker, do you have any idea how to get these tickets to access the halls?”

“Actually, I have them here already,” Joker said, pulling several golden tickets from his sleeve, the slips of admission shimmering beautifully form the light above. He put them down, pushing them towards the middle of the table in order to allow everyone to take their own slip of the key they need to help them unlock their friend’s heart, “I… stole them from the counter, just in case you guys would ever come to...”

His face flinches for a moment, an expression of pain flashed before the rest of the group. He smiled at all of them, yet sadness was still reflected in his golden eyes.

“Never mind, all that matters is that you’re all here.” he smiles, “Oh, and I almost forgot-”

He took a booklet out of his coat.

“-A program that contains the map to the Palace.” he elaborates, “It should tell you everything about the building, and should give you a clue on how to navigate it.”

He placed the program alongside the tickets, Yusuke snatching it up before anyone who could look despite the protest of an annoyed Futaba who hissed him with insults as well as calling him ‘Inari’. Makoto shakes her head, yet the rest of the girls couldn’t help but giggle at Yusuke’s eagerness to examine the peculiar booklet, the boys of the group rolling their eyes at the artist’s eccentricity.

“Well, while Fox has the chance to thoroughly inspect the program you gave us,” Goro sighed as he turned his head to the shadow next to him, “Might as well explain as to why there’s no sign of a treasure.”

“Do you think I’m the reason why there’s no treasure?” Joker asks, and Goro pursed his lips in response.

“Well, it is weird that neither I nor Futaba could detect it.” Morgana piques up, jumping up from Ann's lap and onto the table, “Even when Futaba’s treasure turned out to be her, I could sniff it out easily...”

He trails off his gaze drifting onto the ground, before his head snapped up, his eyes filled with resolve.

“But that doesn’t matter right now!” Morgana said, “Our first goal here is to rescue Ren, treasure or no treasure!”

"Well, if our primary goal is to rescue Ren from the Fool's Theatre, we must do it by the 11th of April," Yusuke said suddenly, closing the program before gently returning it to the centre of the table and grabbed one of the golden tickets for himself.

"The 11th of April, where did you get that date from?" Sumire puzzled, Yusuke turned to look at her.

"It said so in the program." he replied as Futaba took the booklet for herself, "'Join us at the Fool's Theatre for the World Premiere of a performance of a lifetime' it said, and it referred to a special guest appearance; no doubt referring to-"

“Ren-senpai.” Sumire finished his train of thought.

“Well, judging from the map here, it’s gonna be pretty easy.” Futaba said as she flicked through the booklet herself, “There are only nine floors we need to go through, ten if we’re including the Fool’s Theatre.”

“And all we have to do is to just watch some plays, right?” Ryuji said, crossing his legs casually in his seat, “Man, this is gonna be a piece of cake for us. I mean, even if there are shadows who are gonna jump us like with those shadows earlier, taking them out would be easy.”

“Still, I think it would be best to exercise caution.” Haru said, “Speaking of which…”

She turned to Yusuke. He raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, Noir?”

“I think you need some healing. I can still see the impact of the previous fight on you.”

“I’m fine, Noir. Really, it is no trouble-”

“No, please, Fox. At least take some-”

“I would rather not-”

“Fox-!”

While the group was too occupied with the bickering members, Joker turned to look at Goro. His eyes gazed soft and longingly at the black figure who looked away from the commotion, instead more content in observing the wandering cognitions as they talked amongst each other.

“Akechi.” Joker said, his voice a whisper, “How did you-”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Goro grumbled back, his back still turned towards the shadow, “I don’t have to explain anything to you. Just know that I am alive.”

“Oh, okay,” Joker mumbled, taken aback by Goro’s dismissive tone, sinking back into silence.

“-There we go, Fox. Are you feeling any better?” Haru said, her words caught the attention of Joker as he turned to look to see a smiling Yusuke.

“Why yes, Noir.” Yusuke smiles, “I feel much better actually, thank you for healing me, although you did not have to.”

“Well, you were stubborn about it, but I’m just glad that your injuries are-”

“If you’re all done fooling around, then I suggest we get this infiltration started.” Goro snapped and interrupted Haru, everyone flinching at Goro’s outburst as he got up from the booth seat, “We haven’t got time to waste. We have a deadline to keep to, remember?”

“Dude we’ve got more than a month.” Ryuji said, “And besides, why are you so eager to get started?”

Goro’s only response was a cold look towards Joker, the shadow stone-faced as red gazed into gold. Without another word, Goro turned on his heel and walked away.

Joker slipped out of his seat to address his friends after Goro’s leaving.

“He’s right.” Joker admits, “You all need to get going. Every second you waste here is a second that Ren… my other… stays trapped in this place with the puppet master that’s holding him in there.”

“Does that mean you’re going to watch the performances as well?” Makoto asked the shadow; Joker shook his head in response.

“Forgot to grab a ticket for myself.” he said, “That, and I was thinking of making myself useful to the team. I can get into places that I doubt you guys even can, so while you see whatever’s going on in those halls, I’ll see whatever I can uncover regarding my other’s psyche.”

“But you’re already useful,” Sumire said.

“Yeah.” Ann agreed, “You already told us how to get into those auditoriums and got the ticket and the map to the Palace for us. You’ve done so much already for us, Joker. Don’t worry about it.”

“...Thanks.” Joker smiled as he watched his friends slowly exit from the booth, “It’s just. You’re doing so much for me already, it’s the least I can do to help you guys.”

“Nah man, you’ve already done so much for us before this.” Ryuji laughed, pulling the shadow into a quick hug, “If anything, this is us repaying you for all you’ve done.”

“I agree with Skull,” Morgana said as he hopped from the table, his own ticket glittering in his paws, “This is our way of returning the favour.”

The other thieves nodded in agreement to Ryuji and Morgana’s words, and Joker’s smile grew larger. He felt loved, their resolve glittered in their eyes.

“Thank you, everyone,” he said, before turning to Makoto.

“Well, I suggest you all go into the Devil Theatre first, the one numbered fifteen.” he informed the temporary leader, his gaze looking sternly at her as he nodded towards the general direction of their goal, “It’s the only one currently available for showing. I’m sure the other hall, numbered seventeen, will open once the performance is done.”

“Thank you, Joker,” Makoto said as she nodded at him.

“You’re welcome, my Queen.”

He watched the rest of the thieves wander towards the auditorium, sans Makoto, who briskly walked towards Goro. He watched as they spoke with each other, Goro standing from the wall he was leaning on, hush words exchanged between the two thieves. Their conversation stops, and both Makoto and Goro wandered towards the entrance where the others stood.

Joker waited, watching silently as his friends all went through the door, he watched as the door closed fully, watched he was alone with the cognitions of his palace. No sign of the door opening again, he waited for a bit, until he assumed, they'd taken their seats. Good.

He looked behind him. At a small black, glistening speck nestled within the dark where even the sharpest eyes could barely detect it. He looked directly at the hidden camera.

And smiled deviously.

\---

Makoto was the last one to seat herself within the last row of the small auditorium room, the thieves sitting in the row behind the rest of the cognitive audience, allowing themselves to be hidden among the shadows. The lights that illuminated the sides of the room dimmed into darkness, signalling the audience that the play before them was about to begin.  
A second passed. Then two, then three. Slight creaks echoed amongst the audience within the room as cognitions shifted impatiently in their seats, the Phantom Thieves on edge as they anxiously waited for the performance to start.

“Is something supposed to-”

A stark shutter interrupted Ryuji’s inquiry, the stage lit with a single spotlight, the cognitions muttering ceasing as their heads snapped to watch the stage.

Stillness sunk within the small space. Then the sounds of steps, before a figure emerged into the light. Black curls of hair characterised the actor before them, his face down, shrouded and obscured to the rest of the audience. Yet the Phantom Thieves knew who it was. It was…

“Ren?” Ann whispered as she turned to Futaba who was sitting next to her, “Is that him?”

“Hmm, doesn’t look to be him,” Futaba said, adjusting her goggles as she took a closer look at the actor on the stage, “Readings seem to be giving off that this Ren is merely a cognition of sorts. A fake.”

“Why would Ren have cognitions of himself?” Yusuke queried Morgana who was seated next to him.

“It may have to do with something related to the particular formation of his Palace,” Morgana explained as he observed the cognitive Ren closely.

The cognitive Ren looked at the audience, his eyes unfocused.

“February was where my end, began.” The cognition started; his tone flat as he began his monologue. He talked about saving a woman from a drunken man while he was walking home, how his parents found out he was sued, how he was shipped off into the city, and how he had to stay in an attic within a coffee shop. The thieves quickly understood that the cognitive version of their leader was recounting his time in Tokyo.

“April the 11th,” the cognitive Ren continued, “I met someone who would become my best friend, I discovered a World where the deepest, darkest desires of men manifest, and it was the day that I finally felt… free.”

“That’s when he awoke to Arsene, right?” Ann whispered to Ryuji, who gave a nod as the cognitive Ren continued his monologue.

“I mean, it makes sense.” Morgana said, “When you guys first tore off your masks you are tearing off the mask you wear around society and the outside world.”

“-And so, every time we summon our Persona’s, we are revealing our inner selves towards the rest of the world?” Haru said, clasping her hands, “That’s really poetic.”

“I suggest you all shut your mouths if you don’t want to get caught.” Goro snaps at them, his voice controlled yet a hint of annoyance towards the conversing thieves. Ryuji looked at him as he was about to snap back towards the traitor, but decided against it, while the other thieves shifted uncomfortably in their seats before turning back their attention to the play before then.

Madarame’s Museum, Makoto’s blackmail, Kaneshiro’s Bank. Futaba’s cry for help in exchange for helping take down Medjed. Meeting Haru. Taking down Okumura. Changing Sae’s heart. The interrogation and Goro’s betrayal. The cognition continued to recount the events of Ren’s year in Tokyo with a monotone voice to his crowd, yet the thieves noticed that memories he even considered ‘positive’ during his time there were few and far in between.

“If these were his memories, then why are there barely any happy ones?” Sumire puzzled out loud towards Makoto, who crossed her arms in thought.

“He might be minimising his happier memories and magnifying his traumatic memories,” she said, watching the cognitive Ren as he continued to monologue to his audience, his voice dull, his expression downcast with shadow.

“Why?”

“I… I don’t know Sumire,” Makoto admitted, turning to her with sorrowful eyes.

“Is it just me, or has the spotlight dimmed a bit?” Haru said, Yusuke giving her a nod of agreement.

“I’ve noticed it too,” he confirmed, his voice solemn, “Is it perhaps something to do with the play itself? The subject matter?”

“Yeah, it makes more sense if that were the case,” Morgana said, “After all, this reflects a part of Ren's psyche. If the stage is dimming, it will be related to whatever this play is about.”

“Another thing, Morgana. If we are required to watch these plays in order to access the main theatres to get the keys to unlock the Fool’s Theatre, is it Ren’s way of communicating his troubled mind to us?”

Before Morgana could answer Yusuke, stunned gasps erupted from the audience. The cat turned his attention towards the stage, only to find the cognitive Ren sinking into darkness, still monologuing, unaware of his current predicament.

Morgana caught the words that came out of the cognitive Ren’s mouth, and he felt unease slowly churn his stomach. The cognitive Ren was talking about his life back in Inaba: the shame his mother and father bore with his false arrest, the shunning and isolation he faced from his classmates, the rumours that seemed to follow him from Shujin. Though the cognition kept the same, blank expression towards the audience, each word he seemed to utter sank him deeper and deeper in his own shadow, swallowing him whole as the audience did nothing but watch the spectacle in bewildered silence.

“What the eff...” Ryuji said, trailing off in horror, turning to Ann with pleading eyes. Yet Ann shook her head in response, knowing that the impulsive member of the group wanted to save the sinking mockery of their friend - something she wanted as well.

“Ann...”

“Skull,” Ann said, careful to use his codename as she spoke, her voice soft and pleading as she gently pulled him down back onto his seat, him following almost instinctively as he sat back down. He too saw her desire to spring into action, to save the cognition as he drowned in his own shadow, dragged into sentient darkness while staring at them with blank eyes; but she knew she could do nothing, as so did the other thieves, and Ryuji tried to swallow the rage he felt as the audience clapped with disappointment at the cognition’s performance.

  
\---

  
“Are you enjoying the performance so far, my guest?” Joker asked Ren, him smiling gleefully as Ren looked at him with hatred, bound hands curled into fists as his shadow, Joker’s eyes illuminating with pleasure.

“Performance? You call that a performance?” Ren spat, concealing his confusion of his shadow’s plans, and plotted to use Joker’s smugness in order to get even a sliver as to what his shadow had in store, “I’ve seen better performances at kindergarten productions. Even low budget soap operas have more effort than that story excuse for drama.”

“I know what you’re doing, Ren,” Joker said, his expression unchanging, amused to see Ren trying his best to outsmart his own shadow, “It’s cute but, don’t think for a second that it’ll work on me. I know you, and I know you’re trying to slyly trick me into giving away my plans.”

Joker chuckled as Ren’s expression, his other wearing one of annoyance, licking his lips before he continued to taunt him, “I can’t give you a hint. Not yet. It'll ruin the surprise.”

“Surprise?” Ren pondered, raising an eyebrow, and Joker mockingly covered his mouth and gasped.

“Oh, there I go again, running my mouth,” he gasped, before laughing hysterically, clearly amused with himself as he stepped forward towards his bound other, “I must really be careful with what I say. I really mustn't spoil the plot for our grand performance.”

“‘Grand performance’. you mean whatever’s going to happen on the 11th next month, right?”

“You’ve been paying attention.” Joker said, and Ren frowned in response, “But yes. I have a great production for you…for the whole world to witness. It will be the culmination of our desires and dreams, and-”

Joker stopped himself mid-sentence, realising he had gotten ahead of himself, almost making an amateur blunder, and withdrew his hands back into his pockets. Ren could only hiss in disappointment as he anticipated his shadow causing his mistake, playing on Joker’s smug demeanour and using it against him. Instead, the shadow continued to observe him, intense gold shining coldly behind his mask, leaning lazily on the doorframe where he stood.

Something on one of the monitor screens caught Joker’s attention, his eyes focused intensely behind him, as if hypnotised by whatever’s currently playing. Using his strength, Ren swivelled around in his chair to see what Joker was staring at, following his shadow’s gaze to see…

Himself. Crying. Cupping his hands, ash in them, kneeling on the hardwood stage as multiple shadows around him laughed mockingly at him. Two Kodama’s circled his crying copy, giggling as they floated, swirling freely in the air, drowning his sobs as they laughed over him. Ren could see two other shadows that stood behind the curtains, Sraosha looking quietly with its gigantic eye as a Fuu-Ki summoned a gale of wind, his clone trying to shield the ash from the gust, clutching the ash closely to him, yet Ren could see the spotlight illuminating clearly that his treasure was falling swiftly through his fingertips.

“Joker.” Ren said, his voice demanding, angry as he did not understand what the both were watching, “You mentioned scripts, right? What is this supposed to mean? Why are you making me watch… whatever this is!?”

Joker snapped from his trance, blinking his eyes slowly before looking at Ren in acknowledgement. He answered Ren’s question by giving him a grin that made Ren’s blood boil, his knuckles white, rage bubbling in his throat, and Joker couldn’t help but laugh at Ren with utter glee.

“Ren, don’t be upset,” Joker said, walking towards Ren until he loomed over him, the shadow’s shadow cast upon him. He craned down his neck, face inches from Ren’s, his smile full of teeth as his eyes gleamed with such intensity that Ren could not help but wince in intimidation, “After all, we haven’t reached the climax of today’s show, Don’t you want to know what happens? Don’t you?”

“I don’t think I have a choice in the matter.” Ren said, grimacing as Joker’s smile stretched even wider.

“That’s the spirit!” he exclaimed with joy, patting Ren on the head in a congratulatory gesture towards his guest, “After all, I did prepare all of this for you and your friends to enjoy. And enjoy you all shall, ‘ll make sure of that.”

“I still don’t underst-”

“Nononono.” Joker murmured, putting a finger onto Ren’s lips to silence him, shushing each time Ren dared parted his lips, “No more questions. I have to go see the others soon, I can’t miss my cue, you’ll sit tight and watch my performance, won’t you, Ren?”

Ren did not reply. He couldn’t, the steady, defiant look he gave to Joker was the only thing he could do in that situation, and Joker enjoyed how much power he exerted over him.

“Good, good, Ren. I appreciate it,” he said, taking his finger from Ren’s lips, his other keeping silent, maintaining his rebellious expression, up until Joker again closed the door to his prison did Ren allow himself to finally shed a tear.

\---

“Damn, that was another bummer, huh.” Ryuji sighed as they exited the other auditorium, his expression dejected as he watched the other thieves emerge from the room alongside him. Each thief wore a similar expression of sadness, coming to terms with what they have witnessed, and the only two who did not seem perturbed as they made their way towards their booth were Morgana and Goro.

“Yeah, both of them sucked,” Ann agreed as she hesitated in following Yusuke within the seat, instead content to just stand over the table as Futaba took her place within the booth, “The audience weren’t all that great either, ‘he’s just being a cry-baby’?! Why would they think that?”

“Same,” Haru sighed, rhythmically tapping her fingers on the polished table in front of her, “It didn’t help that the audience were so rude about it.”

“How can anyone even be ‘bored’ by someone’s misery like that,” Futaba seethed, ignoring her laptop in front of her, her voice cracking as she threatened to cry at any moment, “I know they’re just cognitions, but the idea of even them complaining about Ren’s suffering...”

“...It truly is sadistic, isn’t it?” Yusuke mumbled, hand resting on his chin.

“Remember, whatever is shown in the Palace is a reflection of their ruler’s heart,” Morgana stated, hopping on the table as he addressed the group, “There must be a reason, something in Ren’s psyche that states we have to bear witness to… whatever these plays represent. If we do, it may hold a clue for us to bypass the other plays within this Palace, making our infiltration faster.”

“Mona’s right,” Makoto said, nodding with agreement at the cat’s words, yet the others looked at the both of them with doubt, “Maybe if we ask Joker, he can give us a clue-”

“A clue about what?” a familiar voice purred, and she turned to see Joker standing in front of her, expression neutral, hands in his pockets as he tilted his head in curiosity, “Is it something you need my help with, my Queen?”

“Your entrance was certainly timely,” Goro said, narrowing his eyes as Joker removed his hands from his pockets, allowing them to hang beside him, “Where were you while we were watching those plays? We didn’t see you when the first once ended.”

“I was looking into some things,” Joker answered nonchalantly, absentmindedly waving his hand in the air as he spoke, “Mostly to do with the theatre at the top,”

“Did you find a way to get in?” Makoto asks, in which Joker responded with a frown and the shake of his head.

“No… I’m sorry, Queen,”

“That’s okay,” she reassured him, giving him a reassured smile, “You tried your best, it’s all we can ask for at the moment,”

“Still, how were the plays?” Joker asked, his gaze looking towards the rest of the thieves, “Judging by your expressions, I take it that they weren’t great?”

“No...” Sumire trailed off, expression sullen behind her mask, “They were really depressing, Senpai, it was really hard to watch at times,”

“Oh,” was all Joker had to say to her.

“Yeah,” Haru said, agreeing with Sumire as she adjusted a loose strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face, “It was certainly hard to watch without feeling sad, certainly. Joker, do you know if all the plays are as depressing?”

“I don’t know, they might be, they might not,” Joker admits, “If the plays are too hard to bear, I suggest you come tomorrow and-”

“Nu uh, we’ve come this far already,” Ryuji huffs, uncrossing his legs, “And we aren’t bailing on you, Joker, not until we get… whatever is in there.” he said as he points towards the Empress Theatre.

“Ah, yes,” Joker said, “The Empress Theatre… to get the key right?”

“Speaking of the Empress Theatre,” Makoto remembered, “We still have no clue as to what the second condition is in order to enter it. Will you mind filling us in, Joker?”

“That I can do,” Joker said casually, “But be warned… I don’t exactly understand it myself.”

“Meaning?” Goro challenged, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Joker.

“Well,” Joker started, his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to collect his words, “I’ve mentioned earlier that the person going in has to match the Lead Actor, correct?”

“Correct,” Makoto said as she nodded to Joker, “But, what does that actually mean?”

“Well, I suppose it has to do with it resonating within one of you,” he said, “Ren wears many masks, each one representing an aspect in his daily life, a person who he faces every day. If these auditoriums are so important that the Lead Actors reside in them, that much mean that each hall might represent-”

“One of us,” Morgana finishes, and Joker nods.

“He cares a lot about you all.”

“So, those messages we got, and the Metaverse app installing itself back on our phone… are you suggesting the reason why is because of these Lead Actors?” Goro theorized.

“It might be, Goro,” Joker shrugged, “However, when it comes to each of you belonging to which hall, I don’t really know. What I do know is that I can go into any of them besides the Fool’s Theatre; I suggest whoever goes first that I’ll accompany them as well. There’s no telling what can happen in there once the Lead Actor appears, if they’ll appear, of course.”

“If I may ask, Joker, how do we know if we're the appropriate thief to enter them in the first place?"

“That I… I don’t know.”

The thieves pondered for a moment, each of them looking around at themselves and back at the double doors that lead to the Empress Theatre. Silence fell upon them, the chatter of the cognitions echoing in the background.

Then Ryuji stood up from his seat.

“Well, if you guys are okay with it, I’m going first,” he stated, shocking everyone as they all looked at him with baffled expressions.

“Ryuji, how do you know it is you who fits the conditions of the Empress Theatre?” Yusuke queried his teammate and friend, looking at him with questioning eyes.

“Honestly, I don’t,” Ryuji confesses, “But like, I don’t like the idea of us just sittin’ around here while Ren is above our heads enduring god knows what-”

“But it says Empress, Ryuji,” Futaba interjects as she slumps in her seat, “Meaning it’s gotta be one us girls, not you, who goes in there,”

“Hey, Empress’ can be boys, too!” Ryuji exclaims.

“Nu uh,”

“Can too, probably,”

“I’m sure that’s not how it works,”

“Well, I’m sure if Naoto Shirogane is still called the Detective Prince despite being a woman, Ryuji could very well be an Empress of some kind,” Goro remarked, grinning mischievously, amused somewhat by his own joke.

“See, Futaba? Goro’s got a point!” Ryuji smiled, crossing his arms, and Goro dropped his jaw in astonishment.

“Ryuji, you are aware that I’m making fun of you, right?” Goro huffs, and Ryuji looks at him with an expression of shocked betrayal.

“Wait-what?! I thought you were helping me?!” he stammered as some of the thieves could not contain their giggles, and even Joker couldn’t help but smile at Ryuji’s reaction, “Well, I’m gonna take that as a compliment, anyway,” he said, crossing his arms, “At least I’m trying to think of something to help Ren, why you gotta be an ass about it?”

Goro responded by rolling his eyes before he returned to staring at the double doors.

“Um, I’m sorry to interrupt, but may I volunteer myself to enter it with Joker” Haru piped up, raising her hand quite timidly, trying to get the attention of the rest of the thieves.

“Sure, Haru, but is there something wrong? I hope I’m not being too forward with this, but I didn’t expect you to volunteer so readily,” Makoto said.

“It’s okay, Makoto,” Haru smiled, “And as for me volunteering… I don’t really know how to explain it, but...”

She looks directly towards the Empress Theatre’s doors.

“I feel… strangely drawn to it,” Haru confesses, her eyes steadily fixated on the doors, “It’s like… It’s calling me, I think? I’m sorry if it sounds absurd, but-”

“You have nothing to apologise for, Noir”, Ann said, smiling at her friend as she puts a reassuring hand on Haru’s shoulder, “I mean, we’re in the Metaverse, and there’s bound to be some crazy things that occur here.”

“That said, Panther,” Morgana said as he approaches Haru, “It might be because Noir is the only one that’s able to go into the theatre,”

“How can you be so sure, Mona?” Yusuke inquired, resting his hand on his chin in thought.

“I mean, it is calling for her, right?” Morgana explains to Yusuke, “And given what we know of the Lead Actors, there must be a reason why the theatre itself is calling to Noir specifically. Plus, if we were wrong and Noir is not who the Lead Actor is calling to, Joker would be there to safely get her out, right Joker?”

“Yes,” Joker nods, “I’ll be sure to safely escort Noir out if anything happens. You have my word.”

“Oh okay then,” Haru said cheerfully as she got in her seat, the others doing their best to shift around their legs as she clambered out of the booth before giving Morgana a pat on head, “Thank you so much for the speech of confidence, Mona-chan, I appreciate it greatly!”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all,” Morgana purred as Haru’s hand left his head. He turned to Joker, “Just make sure that whatever happens, both of you get out safe, okay?”

“We will, Mona,” Joker said, nodding as Haru approached his side, “You can count on me, I’m Joker after all,”

The both said their goodbyes to the others, Haru barely eye Goro as she did so, before they both turned towards their destination, Joker jumping ahead to grab one of the doors for Haru, opening it for her.

“After you, Miss Noir,” Joker said, bowing gracefully at her, hand tucked politely in front of him, earning a giggle from his teammate, a sound he was happy to hear from her, grinning playfully himself.

“Thank you, Joker,” she bows back playfully before entering the room, Joker standing up from his bow and following Haru inside, allowing the door to gently close itself, gently thudding shut behind them.

  
\---

  
The interior of the auditorium was unlike Haru had ever seen, lilac carpeting over white marble trailed on the floor that led to the polished stage before her. Beautiful plush seats, all adorned with small white pillows sat in rows facing forward, all the same matching lilac as the carpet, while flowers of various colours decorated the column that supported the balcony seats above, vines supporting vibrate green leaves snaking neatly around railings, the pleasant floral aroma wafting down alongside small petals that landed beside her feet. She looked up, slow, hazy movement having caught her eye, to see a giant, crystalline chandelier hanging below a moving landscape of soft, painted clouds floating by an idyllic sky.

“It’s… beautiful...” Haru marvelled, her eyes wide with complete awe, the hall completely resonating with her aesthetics as she slowly stumbled forward. Joker watched her take in the sight of the decorations that adorned the room, smiling at how happy she looked as he walked ahead, patiently waiting down in front of the steps that lead up to the stage as she slowly clambered down among the row of seats, “Joker, this place is… it’s amazing!” she gasped giggly, and Joker could not help but chuckle at her excitement.

“Is it?” he asked rhetorically, raising an eyebrow in mock curiosity, yet Haru paid no mind to his playfully sarcastic response as she approached him, giddy with excitement.

“Yes...” she sighed as she looked at him, and Joker could see her flinch as soon as she remembered the task she was here for, “I mean… I…. I-” she stammered, a light shade of blush forming on her cheeks, “I’m sorry, I got carried away there, haha,”

“It’s okay, Noir,” he chuckled, before gesturing her to go up the stairs first, a curt bow as he raised his hand towards them, “After you,”

“Thank you, Joker,” she giggled, climbing up the stairs on the stage, her pumps clicking as she walked on the polished floor. She wandered on it, Joker following behind her with a casual stride, “I suppose we need to find the Lead Actor now, right?”

“I guess-”

The lights shuttered shut, both Haru and Joker jumped in place, both grabbing and readying their weapons as they stood side by side. Nothing happened. There was no movement, only the sound of silence echoed the walls, their own breathing almost deathly silent as the two of them prepared for an enemy to pounce.

Another shutter echoed the still theatre. A single spotlight shined suddenly in the dark. Haru narrowed her eyes in confusion and worry, her grip on her axe tightening, feeling Lucy stir under her mask as she took small, slow steps towards the solitary spotlight. Her ears strained in the silence as she slowly approached the outer rim, yet she saw no shadow slithering in sight.

“Joker?” Haru whispered, turning her head to find the shadow of her friend missing, sweat now gathering under her gloves, gaze flicking anxiously as he tried to spot him. Another sound. Haru turned to see nothing lurking in the audience area.

She felt rough hands grab her shoulders, and she was promptly shoved into the light. She tumbled into the spotlight, shrieking as light consumed her vision, before shifting to dark, and Haru could feel herself falling.

She fell, wind whipping her hair, weapon slipped from her grip as she flailed in nothing, she screamed, pleading for help, yet the shadows responded with nothing.

A sudden “oomph” fell between her lips as she sunk into the shrubbery, the plant miraculously cushioning her from what felt like to be a very steep fall. She groaned, the wind knocked out of her lungs as she impacted the bush, allowing her a moment to gather her strength before pushing herself up.

“W... where am I?” Haru thought out loud as her eyes scanned her surroundings. She found herself to be in some sort of garden, the plants looking sullen and sickly, wilting, starving for sunlight and warmth as they sunk into the stone that decorated the area, the sky black and empty, lacking any features. She got up to her feet, dusting her legs and trousers of dirt as best she could as she continued to look around, marvelling grimly at the state of the garden, yet found it odd that she could see without an obvious light source.

“Hello?” she shouted, her voice echoing, yet she heard no response. She quieted her breaths, listening intently for any sound in the stillness.

A sob. Haru rushed quietly towards it, softly stepping on the dead flowers and leaves as best she could, following a weathered stone path into an alcove next to a dried waterfall, only to see Ren sitting on a dead lotus, surrounded by a ring of anemone, naked and crying. Petals of marigold drifted gently down the golden shaft of light that illuminated him from above, some sticking on his skin, seemingly clinging it to him as the thorns of white roses dug into him, Ren covered in bruises and scabs as they seemed to suck sickly on his blood while narcissus flowers were stuck, rotten in his hair.

“Ren,” she said, reaching out to him in hopes of soothing her crying friend, only to be stung by the thorns that clung to him, and she could see them tightening around his body, pricking fresh new blood as he continued to wail. She panicked, his whines tugging at her heart, Haru desperately trying to reach out for him, calling his name over and over, yet for every word she uttered, his wail of pain and anguish drowned her out.

“Ren, please!” Haru begged, yet Ren barely acknowledged her, still sobbing as the vines strangled him more and more. She panicked, trying to desperately calm Ren while trying not to touch the vines, yet each patch of skin she reached for earned herself another lash from the roses as they rushed to cover Ren, causing him to howl and bleed.

“Ren, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what to do,” she apologised, watching solemnly as Ren continued to cry, barely acknowledging her presence, too absorbed within his despair as marigolds continue to flutter down towards him, earning another gasp as they landed snugly on his flesh. It seemed to her that the only thing that remotely stirred Ren were the flowers that surrounded him.

An idea sprung to mind. Hushing a goodbye, Haru retreated from the alcove back into the wider garden, a goal that kept her steadfast as she trudged among the floral graveyard. Her eyes swept across sickly green and brown until-

She spotted a single, small daffodil sprouting amongst dead branches, yellow barely shining amongst brown, its petals poking out just enough for Haru to see. She approached the flower, gently pushing the branches away before she carefully reached for the flower and plucked it from the ground.

“Hello, little friend,” she said as she gently held the daffodil in her hand, its petals shining in the omnipresent light. She stood up from her crouching position, the flower in her hand, and continued to patrol the garden, looking for any more flowers she could salvage from the decrepit garden.

In what seemed like hours (though she couldn’t tell, as time felt like it had no governance in that realm) she had collected four additional flowers for her small, makeshift bouquet: twin red Carnations sat next to the Daffodil in her hand, a purple Iris and a pink Hibiscus intertwined together wrapped up with the other flowers, and a Sunflower stood tall amongst them. By coincidence, she happened to find a pink ribbon amongst the mess of twig and stone that defined the garden, its origin unknown, but in which Haru used to tie the stems tightly together.

A last patrol around the garden and Haru made her way back to the alcove where Ren sat, the bouquet in her hands. She felt sickly as she saw the number of marigold petals that covered him, touching any inch of skin not already occupied by the snaking thorns around his hunched body.  
“Ren?” she whispered, in which he did not reply, but when she held up her gift did Ren stir from his position. He blinked; black, shimmering eyes stained with red looked at the flowers with curiosity. Haru choked back a fearful sob as Ren weakly reached for the flowers she held in her hands.

“Here, Ren. These are for you,” she said, yet she did not know if her words reached his ears, or whether he could even comprehend them while in his current state. He grabbed weakly at them, thin fingertips brushing against the petals of the flowers, grasping at them with great difficulty, and Haru helped him seize his gift by grabbing his hand before clasping his fingers for him.

“There you go, Ren. Just hold them tight,” she cooed, wrapping the flowers to his hand with the bouquet’s ribbon, making sure the knot she tied around them secure. She gave him a smile, and although Ren’s gaze was wholly fixated on the flowers he held, he smiled in return.

The white roses and their thorns rapidly snaked up his arms as Haru’s flowers erupted spontaneously into cyclamen and sweet pea, the anemone hissed at her feet as she stumbled back in fear. The petals of marigold once fluttered down sparsely from above now rained on Ren in a torrent as they drowned the boy, his hand holding what was once his gift still exposed, left untouched.

Haru tried to save him, she tried to approach her friend, yet something snaked between her ankles and held her in place, Haru looking down to see stalks of spider lilies squeezing her stationary, more and more joining as the stone path fell before her, Haru’s frame supported by the spider lilies that continued to assault her, Haru screaming as she desperately fought off the flora binding her in place. One latched onto her right wrist before pulling back, another one doing the same to her left, and Haru thrashed, squealing in utter fear as the flowers restrained her, and she looked to still see Ren’s exposed hand, still clutching onto the flowers, the ribbon gleaming vibrantly against pale skin.

“Get-” Haru tried to shriek, fighting instincts flaring in her muscles as terror pooled in her stomach. Yet she was silenced when the lilies snaked up her neck and around her mouth, and she muffled as they continued to climb up her body. She jerked wildly, her body flailing, her vision blackening, the last thing she saw being Ren’s still outstretched hand and the marigolds that continued to pour violently onto him before the lilies snaked around her eyes, and soon suffocated her other senses entirely.

\---

There was nothing. Black.

Her head was full of fog.

Haru felt her mouth dry. She smacked her lips, the skin chapped, her throat hoarse.  
Dizzy. She felt dizzy.

The sound of chirped chatter, the patter of a carpeted floor and the clatter of cutlery. Bright light in her eyes mixed with darkness. She could smell something savoury.

Haru opened her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering against her face, the sound of the diners eating and chatting around her, the smell of the buffet reaching her nostrils caused her to salivate, the intensity of the yellow lighting above her made her wince as her eyes adjusted from the brightness from above. She raised her head from the cool dining table she was currently slumped over, waiting for her tired brain to register where she even was.

Blinking a few times, she finally knew where she was: at the famous Wilton hotel buffet in Tokyo. Memories of the spider lily assault sprung back to mind, and Haru panicked as she rushed as she felt her face and looked at her hands. Her mask was on, and she saw her purple gloves and her pink blouse. She was still in her Phantom Thief attire. She was still in the Palace; Ren’s Palace.

A pang of emptiness echoed in her heart as familiar giggles caught her attention, Haru turning her head left to see a copy of herself and a smiling, casually dressed Ren laughing over their cakes. She narrowed her eyes in confusion. She recognised this as one of the numerous meetings she had with him during Ren’s stay in Tokyo; a recent memory to be exact, celebrating her finishing her exams with some of the best confectionery and coffee the hotel could supply. She watched as they conversed, yet barely acknowledged the heavy feeling that weighted her breaths.

“This is good.” Ren complimented, gesturing to the piping, white mug he was holding, “Good coffee, certainly not close to Sojiro’s though,”

“I don’t think there’s coffee that comes close to how Sojiro makes it.” other Haru complimented, taking a sip from her own cup, a satisfied sigh passing through her lips.

“I mean, the guy had help from a certified genius in the form of Futaba’s mom, after all,” Ren pointed out as he gently put down the mug of coffee in front of him, “Wakaba helped a lot with perfecting the stuff Sojiro currently makes… although, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d discover some special coffee tricks himself.”

“Yes well, I’ve actually arranged with him some hours in Leblanc, where he’d promise to teach me some of his coffee making skills,” other Haru said, and Haru could have sworn the sinking feeling came back with more intensity.

“Oh, stealing my job now, aren’t we?” Ren jokes, and other Haru laughs, waving her hand sheepishly. Haru’s own breaths grew heavier.

“Of course not, Ren,” other Haru giggles, “But it’s certainly a good experience to gain for running my cafe. Sojiro-san is kind, patient, and has good experience with running Leblanc, so I personally think it’s appropriate to be guided by him.”

“Well, good luck.” Ren said, taking another sip from his coffee mug, “I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“Thank you!” the other Haru smiled as she took another sip from her cup, “I know I’ll sound quite absurd, but I’m so thankful that you’re so supportive of me opening my cafe. It brings me with joy knowing that I have a friend like you.”

“It’s really no problem, Haru,” Ren said, yet Haru felt otherwise with another pang of dread and stress echoed in her chest, “I want to see all my friends succeed, and last time I checked you’re one of my friends, unless of course there’s a fight or betrayal of trust I missed the memo of participating in,”

“Ren!” other Haru gasps and Ren casually laughs at her shocked reaction.

“I’m just kidding of course,” he winks, taking a sip of coffee, earning a giggle and a hushed, playful scold from the other Haru, yet Haru could feel inside her heart that it was anything but.

The two continued to talk amongst another, Haru quietly both Ren and her past self as they chatted about all sorts of things, absentmindedly consuming the various delectable treats as they did so. It was when the other Haru gasped did they both realise that they'd run out of sweets to eat. The other Haru stood up from her seat, Ren looking at her with a perplexed expression.

"I'm thinking of grabbing more treats for myself," she said, "The Wilton hotel does have the nicest desserts don't you think? I'm thinking of getting some more of their crumpets, they go well with the jam they provide. What about you, Ren? Would you like anything?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Ren said, smiling at the other Haru. With a nod of understanding and a hushed 'I'll be back' the other Haru quietly wandered away from the table, and it was the first time Haru herself could see Ren noticeably relax in his seat, the smile he wore flattening into a tired frown.

She grimaces, the suffocating feeling coming back now full force within Haru as Ren stared off into the distance, his fingers rhythmically tapping the gleaming surface of the dining table he was sat at. It was a feeling of aimless dread, the feeling that Haru was acquainted with, welling up inside of her from nights staring up at her ceiling, miserable as she had no tangible control of her life as she was used as a people by her father, then again as she was suddenly thrust upon with the responsibilities of managing an entire corporation without so much of an ounce of experience or help. She remembers the dizzying feeling of being so lost with what to do, aimless and stressed and drowning in her emotions, and she remembers Ren being the one who helped her overcome the thoughts of doubts and self-loathing that came with such a huge responsibility of planning her future.

So why was she feeling this all over again? Unless…

"I'm back, sorry I took so long." other Haru apologises as she puts down her plate of treats, Ren sitting back up in his seat and smiling at her, yet Haru could now see his expression was less vibrant than before, "Some vanilla sponge cake caught my eye while I was helping myself with the crumpets, and I was deciding whether to further indulge myself or to take what I wanted, which I ended up doing of course,"

"Shame to that sponge cake," Ren said jokingly, "Left alone in the cruel world, never to be eaten by someone as sweet as it, oh the tragedy!"

"Haha, I'm sure someone will save it from this cruel world," other Haru played along, gently cutting one of the crumpets on her plate into two, "Unrelated to our conversation on sweets, but how have you been doing recently?"

Haru felt herself choke at the question, yet Ren still wore his cheery expression.

"Other than applying for universities, nothing really major," Ren said casually, and Haru felt another well of stress rising from her chest, "I really want to go to a good culinary school, but I'm also looking at drama schools as well, not that they'd accept me, but I'm hoping at least,"

"Drama? I didn't know you were interested in drama. When did this happen, Ren?" other Haru said, and Ren smiled at her.

"When I was applying, I remembered my time as Joker," he explained, his voice now hushed, yet Haru could hear him just as clearly as if the surrounding noise quieted in volume around her, "I… I really enjoyed how free I felt, and though I love cooking more than anything, I… I really want to relive that feeling, I want to be Joker again, I guess is what I'm saying, even joined the drama club as soon as I got back to Yasogami High. A lot of my friends there were shocked by the sudden change of interests almost, but I guess I never knew I had that side within me until then, haha,"

"Well, I'm sure you'll do great," other Haru said reassuringly, and all of a sudden Haru felt… doubt creep out her throat, "You're a strong and determined person Ren, I'm sure whatever you put your mind to, you'll do great!"

Though Haru knew her words of encouragement to her friend were genuine, hearing them again while alien feelings churned around her heart felt disingenuous, fake, lacking any warmth as her past self took a bite out of the crumbling pastry, "And if you need any help, I'll be here for you okay?"

Ren could not help but force a smile, and Haru felt so alone as Ren replied a small, forceful, polite "okay" to the other Haru.

  
\---

  
Light consumed her vision once more, and Haru found herself back in the Empress Theatre atop the polished, wooden stage, the bright spotlight shining down upon her as she rose from her knees. She looked around the stage, seeing only herself, not even Joker who had mysteriously disappeared, likely wandering within the depths of the backstage to investigate while she was trapped in her trial.

Grabbing her axe that lay beside her, Haru noticed a peculiar object that she had not seen before. It lay in front of her, edges gleaming beautifully in the light, and she recognised it as her mask.

“Is that…” she exclaimed in bewilderment, quickly touching her face to see that yes, she did still have her mask on. She pushed herself off the floor, picking up the handle of her axe before approaching the object, grabbing it off the floor.

It was a perfect replica of her mask, down to the soft bend where it settled on the ridge of her nose. It felt light, yet fragile, Haru marvelling at the craftsmanship down to the stitching on the edges, the material shone slickly as she tilted it around, taking a closer look.

She heard familiar heels clicking gently on the polished floor, turning around to see Joker, his golden eyes looking quizzically at hers as he walked towards the thief, hands in his pockets, his coat flapping lazily in time with the sway of his steps.

“So, you’ve gotten a key,” he informed her, looking at the black mask in her hands.

“To the Fool’s Theatre, right?” she asked him, and Joker nods, smiling proudly at her achievement.

“You did great, Noir!” he smiled at her, and Haru smiled in return. She pocketed the mask before she turned to leave the stage, yet when she made her way towards the stairs Joker gently grabbed her arm.

“Joker, what’s the matter?” she asked, slightly startled by his abrupt action. Joker pulled his hand away from her, a look of intensity in his eyes before they wandered from her own down towards her hand that clutched the mask.

“Why don’t you put it on?” he said, before meeting her gaze again, his tone assertive, not really asking her but rather demanding her to put on the strange object. Haru’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Why would I do that?” she asked, puzzled by Joker’s peculiar suggestion, tilting her head slightly, “Is it something I have to do in addition to-”

“No, that’s not it.” Joker admitted. He looked hesitant, constantly shifting from one leg to another, looking down at the floor as he tried to find the right words to convey his thoughts.

“It’s just...” he began, his voice trailed off along with his gaze. They both snapped suddenly back towards her, “Aren’t you tired of being Haru?”

“I… I don’t understand,” Haru replied, taken aback by his strange question, “What do you mean, tired of being me’? I don’t think I can ever be tired of being ‘me’ if I’m always ‘me’ so to say,”

“I meant, are you tired of being Haru?” he clarified, “tired of the responsibilities, tired of having to hide your true self, tired of having to suppress your feelings, tired of having to force yourself to smile, to pretend, to please everyone? Don’t you want to be free of it all?”

He pointed at the mask she held beside her, “All you have to do is wear that mask, Haru. If you do, you’ll be able to finally be free.”

Haru felt uncomfortable. She couldn’t fathom why Joker would suggest such a thing to her, stepping back in almost fear, his words settling a feeling of unease in her stomach.

“I’ll be free?” she asked, yet she feared she knew what he was suggesting. Joker stepped towards her, his eyes transfixed onto hers, his expression unreadable, and Haru could feel her heart thump loudly, ringing in her ears.

“Put on the mask, Haru,” Joker insisted, his tone demanding, expecting her to do what she was told to, “Put it on. Become Noir,” he said, “Leave Haru behind,”

“Joker, you’re scaring me,” Haru squeaked, again backing away from the shadow, her grip on her axe tightening, ready to defend herself if she absolutely had to. Yet Joker did not deter from his goal. He still pursued her, his pace quickened to match the fleeing girl, and Haru felt herself on the precipice of hysterics.

“Put. On. The. Mask. Haru.” Joker demanded, his calm, polite facade dissipated, the shadow from under his mask overcasting his eyes, taking one large stride across the gap between to loom over her, “Do it, Haru. Do it!”

“No,” she mumbled, and Joker looked at her, confused.

“What?”

“I said,” she began, her voice rising, her fear evaporating, the anger in which she wielded against shadows in the Metaverse coming to her aid once more. She eyed Joker, the same defiant look he had taught her to embrace when she rebelled against her father and her unwanted fiancé, the same call to action she had felt when she had first fully awoken to her Persona now buzzed within her fingertips, “I said, no! You might be Ren’s shadow, but you are not Ren! You’re an ugly part of him, one that could grow, and fester unchecked! I don’t care if you call yourself, Joker. You are not him! You will never be him! And I will never take orders from you!”

“But, Noir!” Joker pleaded, shifting once more into his polite facade, “I’m trying to free you! To give you a better existence! To exist unchained by society! Why are you throwing this opportunity to truly live as you are!? If you join me, you and I and the others would enjoy a perfect world where we rule it. Don't you want that?!”

" I don't want to, because,” she now shouted, politeness and kindness towards the shadow replaced with scorn and fury, regaining her footing against Joker as she stood up tall, axe now at the ready, feeling Lucy pulsating within her as her Persona itched for a fight, “I’m already living as my true self, as me! You should know, Joker. It was you - no - Ren, who showed me that, showed me that I can live and exist as myself, both around my friends and in society! I don’t need to exist as Noir, because Noir is me and I am her! And your "perfect world" idea? It goes against everything we, as Noir and Haru, and as the Phantom Thieves, stand for, and you know it yourself!”

The mask in her hand suddenly began to shake violently in her grip, Haru gasped as it fell out of her grasp and onto the floor, shattering into pieces.

“No!” both shrieked as the mask shattered, shards of black spilling across the stage. Before either of them could utter a word, the pieces began to vibrate erratically on their own before erupting into dark tendrils that rose into the air. They congregate together, swirling into a ball of black before morphing into a silhouette. Suddenly, as quick as it appeared the silhouette shed the shadow that formed it to reveal a Kali.

“Haru!” Joker gasped, yet Haru ignored him completely, running towards the shadow with a battle cry, both of her hands gripping tightly on her axe as she swung it with her entire strength. Kali blocked Haru’s attack with ease with the use of its swords, pushing Haru away, the girl stumbling back on the wooden floor, yet she managed to regain her footing, taking a fighting stance once more.

“Haru, stop!” Joker begged as Haru continued to fight the shadow, yet she did not heed his words, instead continuing her assault towards the shadow. Joker attempted to step between the shadow and the girl yet stopped when Haru reached for her mask.

“Lucy!” she shouted, ripping her mask off her face, summoning her Persona in an eruption of blue flame, casting Life Wall on herself as the Kali charged towards her, Joker desperately trying to find an opening to intervene, yet the gap between them closed too quickly. The Kali took a swing, the strength of its strike immediately bouncing off the magical wall that Haru put over herself and striking the shadow instead, and the girl used the opportunity provided to take out her grenade launcher before blasting the shadow back completely.

“Noir, what are you doing!?” Joker growled at her, yet Haru paid little attention as she raised her axe, and before the shadow could react, let alone flee, she brought her blade down upon it, killing it.

“No!” Joker shrieked as the Kali dissipated from the stage, leaving a crystalline version of the mask behind, clutching his hair as he stared at the object, eyes wide and panicked, “No no no no no!”

“W... what?” Haru mumbled, blinking rapidly as she calmed down, withdrawing her axe to her side as she saw the crystal mask on the wooden floor. It had the same shape, but it now appeared crystalline, its colour purple like the gloves she currently wore. She approached the masked and crouched down looking at it curiously, yet she dared not touch it.

“Joker, w-”

“You ruined everything!” Joker screamed as he stomped on the floor, tears forming around the corners of his eyes, enraged as he looked at Haru with hatred, “My prop… my precious prop… I spent so long preparing it, making sure it would do what I wanted; I even had to ruin my statue, only for you to destroy it!”

Haru flinched each time Joker raised his voice, her sudden burst of adrenaline from the Kali fight, the drain from her trial and the uncharacteristic tantrum Joker was throwing left her kneeling on the floor, too stunned and exhausted from her trial and fight to do anything but watch as he complained incessantly about his plans. He reached into his hair, intertwining his fingers around his curly locks, mumbling frantically, and Haru could just hear him talk to himself.

“Ruined… ruined… the key… the script… fuck...” he muttered, Haru straining to hear him through her frantic heartbeat. She reached slowly for the crystal mask that lay beside her, gently brushing the smooth surface with her fingertips before she grabbed it. As she did so, Joker snapped to attention and saw the mask in her hands.

“Haru,” Joker warned, hands dropping to his sides, staring at her with a blank expression, yet his eyes followed the mask obsessively, “What are you doing?”

“I’m… I’m taking the mask,” Haru said, her voice hesitant as she stood up from the floor, Joker’s gaze still following the object.

“Hah, you are, aren’t you?” he snarled, scowling with hatred as he looked at her, golden eyes radiating hatred towards Haru, “Ruining my plans, my production, just like that? Hah, I expected nothing less...”

“Joker, please stop this-”

“No!” he screamed, and Haru jumped, her breath lurching as he laughed maniacally in restrained gasps, holding his head in his hands as he closed his eyes, “Why, why would I stop? I want to achieve my goal, Haru, something you can relate to correct? After all, I was the one who helped you gather the courage to attend that stupid Okumura Foods meeting to launch your dream in opening your little cafe,”

He raised his head to look at her, “So why did you ruin mine?”

“Joker-”

“I know why,” he started, again walking towards her, his chin held high, his grin bearing teeth as he looked down at her, “It’s because you like to ruin things, don’t you, Haru?”

“I-”

“Taking Morgana away from us, always whining about the father who treated you to an end. By the way,” he pondered for a moment, tapping his chin with a finger in mock thought, “that guy you were supposed to get married with, Sugimura. Whatever happened to him?”

“I managed-”

“-to call off the marriage, I figured as much.” Joker smiled, causing Haru further unease, “To think you’d be able to do something on your own. Never thought you’d be even capable of something like that-”

“Joker,” Haru interrupted, and Joker stopped his rant as she slowly got up to her feet, “Ren… why are you saying all of this!? What are you talking about!? What’s gotten into you?”

Joker flinched visibly at her calling his real name, as if remembering that it was indeed his own name, and he wore a sour expression.

“Why do you want to know?” he spat at her, eyes narrowing in contempt as he addressed her.

“Because, this is unlike you,” Haru said, walking slowly towards him, expression sincere and kind as she spoke, “This is not the kind, understanding, supportive leader that I got to know. Ren...”

“Then you really don’t know me at all, do you?” he chuckled dryly, shaking his head in almost disbelief, “Haru; there’s so much you don’t know about me, yet you trust me? Why?”

“Well… why wouldn’t I?” Haru asked, genuinely confused as he continued to chuckle to himself.

“I know why,” he said, “Because you are an idiot. An airheaded, spoiled idiot that wormed her way into our friend group. If it weren’t for your father, we wouldn’t have to deal with Sae, I wouldn’t have to play bait just to get back at Akechi, and we wouldn’t have to deal with the scathing backlash, only to be forgotten like just some…. Some cultural FAD!”

Each word Joker said raised his voice until he was screaming at her, and each word caused Haru to become more and more upset as Joker assaulted her with his voice, echoing across the walls of the empty hall, until Joker was huffing, a hand over his forehead, almost heaving with exhaustion, and Haru attempted to reach out for him, only for Joker to swat her hand.

“Don’t” Joker managed to gasp as he suddenly felt dizzy, the same surge of power and energy he felt when first confronting his other that boggled his mind even further. ‘Why was this happening now?’ he asked himself as he eyed Haru with malice, while the curly-haired girl looked at him with horror; worry even.

“Just go,” he growled, his words only bringing more power to his veins, Joker trying to restrain the groans that bubbled up his throat, opting instead to huddle further towards the stage floor. Haru did not know what to do. She wanted to help, eyes widened with panic as to her, Joker’s condition continued to worsen, yet a small part of her feared retribution from the shadow if she tried to help him once again.

“Joker, are you-”

“LEAVE ME.” Joker screeched; his voice boomed in unnatural volume as the walls shook violently. Haru yelped as the power surges continued in Joker’s veins, him now unable to contain himself, uttering a groan of pleasure. He looked up from his curled position to still see Haru looking at him with worry, and with another boom, he shouted, “LEAVE”.

And Haru did. There was first hesitation in her steps, but she obeyed his request, turning and running from the stage and out of the auditorium as the petals from the flowers around her shed their petals at horrifyingly unnatural speeds, leaves shrivelling up and dying, falling towards the now running, scared girl as she swore her surroundings were collapsing around her, and Joker could not help but cackle behind her at the sight of her fleeing before he hastily retreated behind the back of the stage.

\---

“What do you think they’re doing in there anyway?” Ryuji sighed, leaning back at his seat as he bounced his leg impatiently.

The rest of the Phantom Thieves sat in the booth, waiting for Haru and Joker to emerge with the mask, eager to continue with their pursuit deeper into the Palace. Some occupied themselves, Futaba typing away on her laptop, trying to ignore the detective clad in black in front of her, while Yusuke lightly sketched the Palace interior in a little notebook. However, most of them did not have such objects to distract themselves as they waited, Ryuji finding it increasingly annoying that he couldn’t connect to the Internet while in the Metaverse, Ann absentmindedly flicked through the little program Joker provided them over and over again, while Makoto and Morgana discussed their next plan of action.

“I dunno, when they’re done, I guess,” Futaba answered “I’m trying to see if I can hack into anything that’ll give us a view as to what is happening inside. Hopefully, there are cameras and a network feed of some kind that I can easily hack into,”

“And what about Senpai?” Sumire asked Futaba, who looked up from her laptop to address her.

“He’s okay,” Futaba answered, “I’ve set up some signals to track his vitals and location. Though nothing’s major’s happening now, I’ve set up alerts if there is a change in either his location or condition,”

“I doubt that any real harm would come to him,” Goro informs, and Futaba scows.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, bird brain,” she seethed in a hushed tone, Goro acting like he hadn’t heard or cared for what she said as Goro continued, “Whoever or whatever has Ren needs him alive to continue to exist of course; their existence is too intertwined with his wellbeing, and any disruption to that can cause serious harm to either the Palace or it,”

“And what do you suppose this ‘thing’ that has Ren, is? A rogue cognition?” Yusuke said, entering the conversation as he put his small sketchbook down onto the table. Goro hesitates, his tongue pressing against the roof of his mouth.

“I-”

“It’s probably some rogue shadow or whatever, maybe a cog’ of his parents since they’re really strict towards Ren,” Ryuji interrupts Goro, “Nothing to worry about, we can probably take them on easy, especially with Joker on our side,”

“I wasn’t going to say-”

“Guys cut it out and stop bullying Crow,” Ann scolded both Futaba and Ryuji, “I know we have our differences and stuff, but we need all the help we can get if we’re gonna save Ren. That also means no interrupting and name-calling, okay?”

“I didn’t call him names,”

“And I didn’t interrupt him!” Both Ryuji and Futaba defended themselves, Goro sighing at the bickering thieves, barely expecting them to allow him to speak at all, retreating away from them to see Yusuke and Sumire still intently holding their attention towards him.

“So, what do you think it is, Crow?” Yusuke inquires politely, Sumire looking as though she has the same question in mind. Goro looks away from the both for a moment, trying to word his thoughts.

“Well, I don’t think you’ll like it either way,” he began, his gaze still distant and thoughtful, red eyes looking at the double doors as he allows himself to ponder for a moment, “I still don’t have any evidence myself, but. I distrust the shadow that roams here,”

“You mean Joker?” Sumire asked, and Goro nodded in response, “But why, Crow-senpai?”

“I’m not one to question gut feelings, but why do you suspect his shadow?” Yusuke queried Goro, “He’s been doing nothing but helping us so far. The shadow is the true self is it not? If Joker is acting kind, can’t we suspect that he is kind in turn?”

“I don’t want to appear as being crass but: I have a feeling that Joker’s hiding things from you all,”

Everyone within earshot stopped abruptly with their prior conversations, Makoto and Morgana pausing from their discussion, Ann interrupted from her scolding of Ryuji and Futaba, all of them turning to face Goro in stunned silence, some with their mouths agape.

“Joker’s… lying to us?” Ann questioned Goro carefully, eyes unnaturally wide under her mask, “A-are you sure!?”

“Are you sure about that?” Ryuji interrogated Goro, leaning forward, looking at him with suspicion, “I mean, we are his friends, and we’ve known him way longer than you,”

“Yes, I know,” Goro gasped quickly, “But I have an uneasy feeling that he’s lying to you a-”

“Joker would never lie to us,” Futaba snapped at him angrily, the thieves flinching as she hissed at Goro with such uncharacteristic anger and boldness, “He would never! You’re just, just trying to get us to not trust him, aren’t you?!”

“Oracle, I-”

“No, you shut up, this is Ren we’re talking about,” Futaba hissed, her hands curling into fists as she glared at Goro under her goggles, “He would never lie to us! He would never! You don’t know him! You tried to kill him!”

“Futaba-”

“Shu-”

The Palace abruptly trembled, the chandeliers above rattled violently, vases shattering, cognitive patrons screaming as the Phantom Thieves sprang from their seats, with a quick order from Makoto, they all dived under the small table as their surroundings shook.

“What’s going on?!” Ann cried out as she tried her best to retreat underneath the table, pulling Ryuji in as he clumsily fell forward, “Why is the Palace shaking?!”

“I don’t know, but I do know that something’s happening to Ren,” Futaba informs them, voice barely audible shaking from the tremors and her fear as her laptop beeps noisily in her lap.

“Oracle, what’s wrong!?” Sumire screamed as the tremors worsened, Futaba scrambling to look at her laptop, typing away at the keyboard as her eyes darted around the screen.

“It’s Ren!” she replied, “I don’t know what’s happening to him, but-”

Haru stumbles out from the double doors, her expression one of haste and panic, and fast as the tremors came the Palace suddenly stood still. The cowering Phantom Thieves paused as Haru fell onto the carpeted floor in a daze, lying on her side and breathing heavily, clutching her axe alongside an object in her hands. One they suspected that the reason why the quake that had hit the Palace had passed, they each emerged from under the table, excluding Futaba, who was still working away on her laptop.

“Noir! Haru, are you okay?!” Morgana exclaims as he rushes towards the fallen girl, paws glittering with green healing magic, ready to aid her, “What happened in there?! Where’s Joker?!”

“Joker...” Haru mumbles, her expression downcast at the mention of their missing friend, her eyes fixated on the carpet floor, her fingers curling with reflex. She closed her eyes temporarily, feeling suddenly, very, very tired, and she could physically feel bags forming under her eyes.

“Haru, what’s wrong?” Ann asked the girl, too occupied with worrying about her friend’s help to use their allocated codenames, swooping down to her level, kneeling alongside Morgana on the carpeted floor, “You look tired, take it easy okay?”

Haru slowly nods, as if the gesture was a Herculean task on its own, acknowledging Ann’s words as she allowed herself to be assisted by the red-wearing girl. Ann approached Haru, sliding an arm around her back, slinging Haru’s arm around her neck before lifting her up by the shoulders.

“Haru, I’m sorry if I agitate you further, but may I inquire about the glittering object you’re holding in your grasp?” Yusuke asked, pointing at the shiny purple object in the hand that slung around Ann’s shoulders.

“Just… take it,” Haru slurred, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to stay awake, her energy quickly draining as she stood there, “Please, I feel...”

Yusuke nodded, catching the crystalline object as Haru dropped it, Ryuji running by her side, helping Ann up as Haru looked as though she was about to lose consciousness, her skin flushing white.

“Is that?” Sumire gasps as Yusuke observes what he assumed to be a key Joker mentioned earlier, “Is that Noir’s mask?”

“Whatever it is, it’s definitely a key,” Futaba said, having already scanned the object in their hands with Al Azif, “It’s resonating with the door on the topmost floor, no doubt the same one that leads to the Fool’s Theatre,”

“While I do want to discuss additional things, I suggest we first get Noir out of here,” Makoto commands the others, “She is in no fighting condition, and if we were faced with another ambush like we did earlier, with Joker missing, we would be in an especially vulnerable position,”

“But, Ren-”

“We can’t go on, Skull,” Makoto shakes her head, “As much as I want to rush ahead in order to save Ren, we need to let Noir rest and regather her strength. We have plenty of time, Ren is a strong person, and we can strategize what to do next back in the real world, but for now, we need to retreat, okay?”

Ryuji opens his mouth to argue, a force look burned in his eyes, yet when he looked at Makoto’s stern, uncompromising expression he closed his mouth. He visibly winced, attempting to argue with their leader, but when he looked upon Haru’s pale, sickly face he realised that Makoto had a point.

“Okay, Queen,” he sighed defeatedly, before gesturing to Ann to follow him out of the Palace. She nodded, and while carefully supporting Haru they made their way down the stairs towards the grand foyer.

“As for the mask,” she turns to the rest of the thieves that remained in the Metaverse, “Oracle and Mona, you should hold onto the mask for the time being since you’re close to the meetup spot. I’m sure Skull and Panther would escort Noir back home just fine. As for the rest of you, we’ll discuss our next meeting session when Noir feels better and regains her strength, and Oracle and Crow; please stay behind for a bit, I need to discuss possible methods of communication between us all, if that’s okay,”

Futaba and Morgana nod in agreement, Yusuke handing the object to the girl as he leaves, Sumire giving the remaining thieves a tiny wave as they both exit the Palace.

“You aren’t leaving, Mona?” Futaba questions the cat, noticing him standing vigilantly between her and Goro.

He gives a nod and a smile. “I made a promise to Ren that if anything were to happen to him, I would be there to protect you,” he explained, Futaba giving him a puzzled look, “I mean, he didn’t, but he implied it, and that’s good enough for me,”

“Anyway,” Makoto coughed, grabbing the attention of all three of them, “Oracle, how easy is it for you to make sure our chats and calls are secure?”

\--

The foyer of the top floor was empty compared to the rest of the building, no cognitions of people or ushers holding shadows alike wandered along the red-carpeted floor of the foyer in front of the most important auditorium in the Palace: the Fool’s Theatre.

Two red doors stood vigilant, surrounded by smooth black walls of marble, veins of gold running through the stone as red curtains hung along it, potted plants sprouting tall, green shrubs sparsely decorated the room, a golden chandelier hung in the middle, glittering beautifully in the surrounding light.

Joker emerged from the elevators that hugged the wall next to the stairs, hands casually in his pockets, having escaped the Empress Theatre he made his way back into his own. He strides across the room with long steps towards the doors, grabbing its golden handle, yet paused to inspect the velvet that decorated them. Cavities that held the keys to the theatre, won by the trials all the thieves had to face stayed empty, Joker brushing a gloved hand to where Haru’s mask would have been slotted in, before pulling the door open, it obeying its rightful master and allowed him entry, the lights of the auditorium shuttering dramatically to life.

Bathed in golden luminosity, the interior of his beloved hall glittered wonderfully in his eyes. Black, pristine leather seats lined each row along with red carpet decorated in a faint checkered pattern, golden walls and columns accenting the room and balconies, leading up to the beautiful mural that reminisced Yusuke's interpretation of Desire and Hope, brought to life as colours swirled and shifted and radiated above the grand, obsidian chandelier that dangled below it. He made his way down among the row of seats, his footsteps padded on the carpet, and with one quick motion he shot out his grappling hook, zipping across the air, before landing perfectly onto the wooden performance space.

Retracting the grappling hook and tucking his hands casually in his pockets, Joker retreated under the towering, black and gold curtains of the stage as he headed towards his dressing room.

The door to his sanctuary was located at the end of the otherwise bleak hallway, the red velvet shining against blank white doors, his name on a star-shaped door plate made of gold. He reached for the doorknob, twisting it, a soft ‘click’ echoing in the hallway as he pushed it open.

His dressing room was as luxurious as the theatre it was housed in, red and blacks decorated each crevice, white and gold accenting countertops and tables and door edges, expensive platters of food, bottles of drink, and electronics scattered across the room, all with a marble floor, gold veins accenting cracks between the rock. In the middle room, a black leather seat faced a large screen TV that was nestled comfortably within the wall, two beautifully velvet lined doors stood next to each other, leading to his bedroom and ‘office’ respectively. Closing the door behind him, Joker ignored all the temptations surrounding him completely, instead wandering towards the back of the room, where a single door lay forgotten, untouched by the same opulence which adorned its surroundings. A gloved hand on the doorknob, he twisted, flinging it open with gusto, flooding the dark monitor room with light.

“Bonjour mon invité, je suis de retour!” he called, laughing as he reached for Ren’s chair, grabbing it before he spun around to his other’s scow, Ren’s face illuminated by artificial, flickering lights. Ren did not reply, he did not want to give the satisfaction that he knew his shadow craved, yet Joker noticed his glistening wet cheeks, taking upon himself to inspect Ren’s face by suddenly grabbing his chin, his other’s eyes astonished as Joker inspected him.

“Ren, what happened to you?” Joker cooed, yet his tone lacked any real concern or warmth as he tilted Ren’s head, inspecting the glistening streaks of tears on his face, “Why did you cry? Do my plays not bring you joy?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Ren hissed as he jerked his head away from Joker’s grasp, feeling more disgusted and sicker the closer his shadow got to him, “Don’t touch me, don’t you dare touch me,”

Joker withdrew his hand back at Ren’s sudden outburst, feigning surprise at Ren’s rebellious attitude towards him, “I’m safe to assume that your tears are the result of the performances I put on for you, or perhaps from me interacting with your friends?”

“Whatever your plan is, leave them out of it,” Ren fumed, pulling on the restraints that bounded his hands, “They’ve got nothing to do with this place. I’m clearly the one you want, and I suspect you’d want to keep it that way,”

“I do,” Joker muses, “But I also want them. You see, Ren, I’ve clearly invited them here, not to steal your heart, but to save them from themselves, from this Hellish society that we all live in-”

“And you’re doing that by insulting them and brainwashing them?”

“I… didn’t mean to say those things to Haru,” Joker confessed, “But she left me no choice. If she wasn’t going to join us, I had to drive her out, I had to push her away, so she wouldn’t interfere with us, you understand right? I know you do, because you’re me,”

“I’m not you,” Ren spat, though he knew deep down his shadow was right, the words he uttered to Haru were his, thoughts he kept deep within his heart, yet he tried anyway to deny the manifestation of his darkest thoughts and feelings around him, “I’m not you,” he cried, “I’m not you,”

“But I am you,” Joker said plainly, raising his neck above to look down on Ren, both to dominate and to allow him to accommodate the intoxicating surge of power that again surged his veins, “I am thou, and I will see my - our - plan to its conclusion. Because you know why,”

“Because-”

“Because I get things done.” Joker stated, interrupting Ren as he snarled with superiority, “I always get things done. You. You get nothing done. I always do, I will succeed in our plan, I will see my play come to its intended conclusion, and I WILL get our friends to our side, so we can finally get what we deserve,”

“You won’t, because the others will stop you,” Ren said, though he quickly knew he was losing his argument the further Joker’s amused grin twitched wider, “They’ll save me, they’ll change my heart, they’ll-”

Ren choked a sob, Joker’s eyes widened abruptly, and the shadow stumbled back, clutching the red fabric of his waistcoat tightly, crashing into the wall behind him as he gasped.

It was another surge, more powerful than before, Joker groaned as his head spun, dizzying sensations clutched his consciousness as his eyesight blurred, tears welling up the corners of his eyes, and he could feel his heart twist in his chest. It was the same feeling he’d experience with Haru, the same sensations he felt taunting his other, yet as he looked at the horrified expression Ren had on his face with forgotten tears freshly streaking his face did he finally realise where these sensations came from.

Joker laughed as the surge fizzled away as fast as it had arrived as he sat on the floor, lying against the wall as he looked at Ren who was dumbfounded by what he just had witnessed. Joker allowed himself to relax before he clambered back onto his feet, the surge leaving him a shaky mess as he supported himself with a hand on the wall. He took a minute for himself gathering his breaths as he slumped against the wall, all the while Ren observed him with perplexed, fearful eyes.

“Hah, what a revelation,” Joker exclaimed breathlessly, straightening his posture and turning to Ren, “To think we learned something about the Metaverse during our chats, and I thought Mona had told us everything,”

“You’re insane, you really are,”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t describe myself as such,” Joker shrugged, “Then again, I’m-”

“Don’t say it,”

“Then don’t make me,” Joker laughs before turning towards the exit, a hand resting on the doorknob, “Anyway, I’ll make sure to get you some water so you don’t dehydrate yourself, and in something that you can’t easily smash or use to spill onto the controls,” he added, “I’m not an idiot.”

With his last remark, Joker closed the door behind him, leaving Ren alone with the numerous screens, some of them empty, some of them with plays that played repeatedly, and some of them looping footage of Haru’s saddened expression, of his friends, fighting and bickering. He closed his eyes, trying to drown the incessant chatter that surrounded him.

But he had hope. Hope for his friends in reaching him, hope that he was able to hold his sanity together, hope that they’d change his heart, that they’ll persevere, that they’ll be able to fight through whatever his twisted Palace had in store for them, and whatever Joker had prepared for them.

Because, he knew he had to, or allow his twisted heart to consume him entirely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and please leave a comment and a kudos! I would love to get feedback, and to hear what people like/what can be improved on! 
> 
> Some notes such as flower meanings and translations in French here:
> 
> FLOWER MEANINGS  
> Sunflower - Respect, Passionate Love, Radiance.  
> Iris - Good News,Glad Tidings, Loyalty  
> Gentle - Gentle.  
> Daffodil - Respect.  
> Carnation - Fascination, Distinction, and Love  
> Anemone - Protection from evil, Forsaken, Expectations.  
> White Rose - Innocence, Silence, Devotion.  
> Narcissus - Self-Esteem  
> Cyclamen and Sweet Pea - Resignation, Good-bye.  
> Lotus - Purity, Chastity.  
> Marigold - Grief, Despair, Jealousy / God’s Perfect Light.  
> Red Spider Lily - Never to meet again, Lost memory, Abandonment 
> 
> TRANSLATE  
> Bonjour mon invité, je suis de retour - Hello my guest, I have returned.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading the prologue! Please leave a kudos and review, especially detailed reviews, since they help me improve me writing and the story! Thank you!


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